Breathe
by No-Longer-Active12345
Summary: On hiatus-- author disinterest-- will continue at a later date-- post-poned until further notice
1. Prologue: A Brief History of Lily

_**Hello my good readers! This is actually not my first story. This is my second story. I deleted my other one, and to anyone who was reading it, I am very sorry, and I may continue it at a later date since it is still on my computer. Anyway enough of that. **_

_**This is just short beginning to my story to start it off, otherwise you will get very confused later on. This story has been dancing around in the back of my head for a while now and since I hadn't seen one really like it, I decided, what the heck and wrote it down.**_

_**So here it is! Hope you enjoy! And please reveiw or I will send my baby eating freind after you!**_

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_**A Brief History of Lily **_

To begin our story, you must first know the story behind the story. This is a brief history of Lily Evan's life until her 6th year.

Lily's parents got together shortly after her father's, Michael, twin sons, Caleb and Alexander, were born to his ex-wife. She, not wanting the children, left them to him and his new wife.

Eight months later, Lily was born. Followed by her sister, Petunia, a year after that. All of the children got along quite well until that fateful day, 10 years later.

It turned out that Michael's ex-wife was a half-blooded witch. Therefore her sons were wizards. Lily, however, was just a muggle-born that happened to be magical.

The three got their letters of admittance to Hogwarts, and Petunia, being left out, became very jealous. She would not speak to Caleb and Alex at all, and the only time she talked to Lily was to insult her. Her parents knew of this, of course, but there was little they could do to change it.

So Lily, Caleb, and Alex boarded the train to Hogwarts together, beginning a new life. Everyone knew that Caleb and Alex were half-bloods and that Lily was a muggle-born. But no one, not even their friends, ever suspected that they were related. After all, they looked totally different!

Caleb and Alex were very attractive and mischievous, and therefore fit right in with the 'Marauders'. Lily, being conservative and smart, disapproved of the Marauders, but put up with them for her brothers' sakes.

James Potter was a messy, black haired boy in the 'Marauders', and had the biggest and most annoying crush on Lily. He had been asking Lily out ever since the first day on the train. Lily had been tempted to hit him many a time, and on more than one occasion, James had sent her away in tears. At those times, Caleb and Alex would pummel James before going and checking on Lily.

But the most life-changing thing for Lily had occured in her third year. She and her brothers had been pulled out of Charms by Professor McGonagall to say that her Father had just died in a gruesome car wreck.

Lily was still not over his death when her mother married a man by the name of Daniel Williams, Dan for short. He was shocked to find out he had witches and wizards in the family, and was not happy about it.

He adored Petunia because she was 'normal', but every chance he got, he would beat Lily, as though trying to rid her of her 'abnormality'. He did nothing to the boys because there were two of them, and he was sure to lose.

Only Lily, Petunia, Dan, and Rose--their mother--knew about Lily's beatings. Rose was powerless to stop it and Petunia didn't care. Caleb and Alex didn't know because Dan hid it from them by beating Lily when they weren't around.

Lily wouldn't tell Caleb and Alex, but she didn't know why. Every time they saw one of her bruises or cuts she would make up some excuse, saying she was clumsy. But Lily was far from clumsy. Her brothers would get suspicious, but never interrogated her further.

Lily went on like this every summer for three years. Then she would get back to school and be assaulted (A/N not really) by James, asking her to go out with him, school work, and not to mention … Slytherins.

Slytherins treated Lily like dirt under their feet for being muggle-born. James or Caleb and Alex would put a stop to it if they were around, and although Lily acted like she didn't care, their words stung her very deeply.

Lily's friends, Carrissa, Alanna, Dion, and Jackie, were all very sweet and supportive, but none knew about Lily's trouble at home.

Carrissa Roberts had brown- almost black hair with medium skin, and was a muggle-born. She was very smart, like Lily, and had a huge crush on Remus Lupin, another one of the Marauders.

Alanna Marquette, however, was brunette, a bit on the skinny side, and a half-blood. She was shy and sensitive. She had the biggest crush on Lily's brother, Caleb. Aside from Lily and Dion, she was the only girl who could tell the twins apart.

Jacqueline Smith was dirty blonde, tan, pureblood, and anything but sweet. She was pretty and smart, but she did not tolerate any lip from anyone. If you mouthed off to her or her friends, or violated their personal space she would personally drop kick you on the spot. She didn't like many boys--mainly because "they're idiots"--but Sirius Black had a huge crush on her, earning many a bruises because of it. Jackie was very insecure, though. She didn't want anyone to know, and so, she made up for it by being tough. Sirius saw right through her mask, though she didn't know know. If she did, she didn't want it to be so.

Dion Lyons was a light-skinned, black- haired, half-blood. She was as kind as Lily, but not as smart. She did have a devilish, mischievous side, though. She crushed over Lily's other twin brother, Alex.

The Marauders…

Remus Lupin was smart, handsome, and kind. He was the only one of the Marauders that Lily could stand, other than her brothers, sometimes. Many people thought that he was the epitome of perfection. However, Remus did have one very dark secret… He was a werewolf.

Sirius Black was the most dashing person in Gryffindor. He had shoulder-length black hair and muscles. He was the outcast of his family, though. He was in Gryffindor while the rest of his family was in Slytherin.

James Potter had messy jet black hair, and not as many muscles as Sirius, but he still had some muscle! He and Sirius had a smile that made girls faint. Many girls chased him, but he never wanted any of them… only the one who wasn't mooning over him; Lily Evans.

Caleb Evans had dark blonde hair, and about as much muscle as James. He and his brother were the Gryffindor Quidditch Team's beaters. He and his brother got as many, if not more, girls than Sirius and James.

Alex Evans looked exactly like Caleb; except he was slightly taller and had a birthmark on his neck. They both had knock-out smiles as well, and gave James and Sirius a run for their money. It was almost like girls were a pawn in the twins' and Sirius' and James' competition.

Lily didn't get why her friends were obsessed with the 'Marauders'. She thought they were pompous, arrogant, self-absorbed, and, quite frankly, ugly! She would never go out with James, so she wished he would just leave her alone!

Then again… she definitely preferred his annoying comments to home. At home she felt unloved. Her sister hated her, her step-father beat her, and her mother did nothing about it! Yet every summer she returned home loyally, hoping things would get better.

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**_So what did you think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Should I delete it now and save the world? Or continue it? Tell me now in your reviews! I have the next chapter finished but I won't post it if I don't get any reveiws! But to some of you that may not be a bad thing huh? Lol I do accept flames and constructive critism! In fact they are greatly apprectiated! _**

**_Special Thanks to my freind Creepy Harpy who read, reviewed, critisized, and perfected my work for my me, even though he hates my pairings. In fact he does that for all my work...lol Thank You Creep! We Love You!_**


	2. Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express

_**Hey Guys! Thanks to those who reviewed! They were greatly appreciated! Sorry I didn't post this yesterday, but I was busy and ididn't get on my computer so I didn't just decided to take a break. **_**_My editor did point something out to me that might some up later so I suppose I should clear it up now._**

**_Caleb and Alex are twin half brothers to Lily. No students, and not all of the staff know this. Just like not everyone knows that Sirius and Regulus are brothers, even though they have the same last name. Their freinds don't know this because ...I said so! I guess they never told them because they thought it was a given with the name and all. But anyway, now that that's cleared up... please, if anyone has anymore questions please don't hesitate to ask me in a review! I will be more than happy to explain! Now on with the show!...or story!...or whatever!_**

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_**The Hogwarts Express**_

Lily stood near the barrier leading to platform 9 ¾ with her family, saying good-bye to her mother and Dan. It was 10:50 a.m., and she and her brothers were going back to their sixth year at Hogwarts.

"C'mon Lily. We'd better get going if we want to find good seats," announced Caleb cheerfully.

Lily reached up and hugged her mother, then hugged Dan.

"Good luck, kid," he said putting on a fake smile and patting her arm, where he knew a bruise was. Lily did her best not to wince, despite the pain. Thankfully, Caleb and Alex hadn't noticed her momentary cringe.

"Bye Guys!" called Alex running through the barrier.

"See ya next year!" Lily said, though she didn't know why she would be back next year.

"Yeah! What they said," Caleb joked following his brother and sister onto the platform.

Lily had gone two steps when a flurry of hair blinded her vision, and she was overwhelmed by screaming girls.

"LILY!!"

"We missed you so much!"

"Why didn't you write!!?"

"Well!? What do you have to say for yourself!? Why aren't you answering me!!?"

"Heck girls, maybe if you would let her breathe she would answer you! Just a thought, you know!" shouted Alex over the screaming girls.

They backed up, and Lily resurfaced, throwing Alex a grateful look, which he returned with a grin.

"Hey Lil', we're supposed to meet the boys over by the luggage compartment. Do you want us to take your trunk for you?" Caleb suggested, seeing as Lily was surrounded by bunch of excited girls.

"Yeah, thanks guys. That would be great," she thanked, seeing that there was no way out.

"Lily Marie Evans! Why did you not write to us?!" demanded Dion, sounding angry, hurt and concerned at all once.

"I… was busy. Sorry, but there was a lot going on this summer, and I couldn't find anytime to write. I did enjoy your letters very much though," Lily lied. She had not been busy, there was just nothing going on that she wanted to tell her friends about.

"Well, if you were _that _busy then I want to hear about your summer," said Carrissa, with a knowing look that made Lily nervous.

"Well… Maybe we should find a compartment first?" Lily said trying to stall.

"Yeah, before all the good ones are gone," agreed Jackie.

"We missed you so much!" said Alanna giving her a great big bear hug, that happened to smash all of her bruises on her arms and back.

"OW! Alanna get off me! Please!" Lily cried pleadingly.

"Okay, okay. Just wanted to say how much we missed you," said Alanna sheepishly.

"Yeah Lily. What's gotten into you?" inquired Dion, slightly annoyed and concerned.

"N-Nothing… Sorry. I missed you guys, too," Lily said trying to make up for her outburst.

"Yeah, well, let's just go get a compartment, shall we?" suggested Jackie, heading for the train.

"Yeah, let's do that," agreed Carrissa following Jackie.

They all proceeded onto the train, looking for a compartment.

"Are they all always taken so soon?" asked an annoyed Dion when they were unable to find an empty compartment.

"Oh look! Here's one," called Alanna, finding one of the last empty compartments, and sitting down in it.

Once they were all inside and comfortable, Carrissa shut the door and asked Lily, "So, what exactly did you do this summer that made you so busy you couldn't write to us?"

"Well…, you see, my mother wanted to take us to France for a bit, and we spent all of our time there admiring the shops. Then we came back and the house had been ransacked, so we had to clean that up, and it took about a week," Lily was lying through her teeth, hoping no one noticed, "Then Dan had a business offer made to him, so we had to have tons of people over, then eventually go on a trip to Spain to visit one of his co-workers that was getting him promoted. By the time we got back, we were all exhausted and slept for two days, and I almost didn't get up in time for the train today. Good thing Petunia was screaming her head off at the fact that her most hideous blouse was missing,"

"Well, that does sound very busy. But couldn't you have found one spare minute to write to us?" asked Alanna inquisitively.

"No, sorry. We ran our feet off," Lily lied.

"Well, at least you're here now to fill us all in! Right ladies!?" called Dion happily.

"Yeah!" they all shouted at once.

"Hey, what's all the noise in here?" called a drawling, irritated voice from the doorway, "Oh, filthy mudblood having a party eh? Now we can't have that can we?" Lucius Malfoy pulled out his wand.

"No, we can't. Mudbloods having parties on the train. For shame," Bellatrix Lestrange taunted from behind him.

"Now now, Bella. If the mudblood wants to have a party, let her. It will be disgusting, like her, and then she won't feel so alone anymore," Narcissa drawled beside Bellatrix. She was never good at taunting anyway.

"Piss off, Malfoy," Lily said calmly, "And take your pinch- nosed friends with you,"

"Yeah, before Jackie comes over there and knocks your block off," Carrissa said sweetly, holding Jackie back.

"Why you insolent little piece of filth! I will have to teach you proper respect," Lucius breathed, raising his wand. He was about to say an incantation when all of the sudden, many spells hit him at once.

The outcome was not pretty. They all ended up looking like three great big blobs of goo. Everyone in the compartment was shocked, only one of them had cast a spell, and that was Jackie, unable to get over there and punch his face in herself.

"What the...?" Dion whispered looking at Jackie.

"Hey, don't look at me! I only cast jelly legs on him," she said throwing her hands up in defeat.

Just then five boys appeared in the doorway.

"Why, hello ladies!" Sirius said with a huge grin on his face.

"What do you want, Black?" Jackie said irritably.

"Oh, so that's the thanks we get for saving your skins?" Sirius asked, trying to look offended.

"I could've done it myself," Jackie said, shooting daggers at Carrissa.

"Ah, but you didn't!" Caleb pointed out smiling.

"Boys, go away, would you?" Lily asked annoyed.

"We could," Alex chimed in.

"But we won't," Sirius said, grinning like crazy, trying to hold back laughter.

"Not unless you say the magic words," James spoke up, with a debonair smile.

"And what, dare I ask, are these 'magic words'?" Lily asked crossly, "They wouldn't happen to be a jinx would they?" she added hopefully.

"No, my dear lady, they are… 'I want to go out with James Potter'," James said causing Sirius to fall onto Alex, laughing his heart out.

"In your dreams, Potter," Lily rolled her eyes.

"I do. However, why dream if I can see the real thing?" James teased.

"James, mate, do yourself a favor and shut up now," Remus spoke up.

"What if I don't want to?" James asked haughtily.

"Then you'll have me answer to," Jackie said threateningly.

"Ah! Dost mine ears deceive me? Or 'twas that a threat I did hear?" James said theatrically.

"I believe you dost hear a threat, my good sir," Caleb said playing along.

"A threat?! I must hunt down and destroy this threat! No one can threaten I, James Potter, and live!" James called dramatically, clutching his chest.

"Oh goody, maybe you'll die now," Lily said hopefully.

"James, let's go, before you cause anymore trouble," pleaded Remus, eyeing the situation carefully.

"You wouldn't, so happen, to be trying to save this fair lady from her fate, would you?" Alex called playing along as well.

"Nay, he wouldn't. For then we would have to dispose of him, too!" Sirius said, bounding over to Remus.

"T'would be a noble fight," Caleb said, joining Sirius.

"And ashamed would you all fall. Oh no," Lily said sarcastically, slamming the door shut and locking it.

"Thanks for the support guys," Jackie added sarcastically, to the three girls who had just sat there and watched.

"Well, it's not that we didn't _want_ to help you," Dion began.

"We just thought you had things under control," Carrissa finished.

"Yeah…," Alanna said meekly.

Jackie and Lily exchanged exasperated looks. They knew the reason the three hadn't helped. It was because all of them liked one of the boys standing there.

"You guys are pathetic," Jackie said irritably.

"I'm going for a walk. I need some air," Lily said standing up and walking to the door.

"We're on a moving train," Alanna reasoned.

"With windows and corridors," Lily added, walking out of the compartment and closing the door.

Lily walked down the corridor, away from her compartment. She needed to think, and being in there, thinking was impossible. She stopped at an open window and leaned her head out slightly, catching the wind on her face.

She couldn't do it anymore. This was the third year in a row that she had lied about her summer to the girls. She had to tell someone. She needed a confidant that she could talk about her problems with. Her friends knew about Petunia, and about her parents, but they didn't know about… Dan.

She knew that eventually she would have to tell them. She just didn't want… well, she didn't know anymore. She hadn't even told her best friend, Dion.

Just then her thoughts were interrupted by a harsh sudden stop of the train. The lights flickered on and off. The train started trying to move again, but every time it did, it would come to a sudden stop again. Lily was jarred upward, and her head hit the top of the window.

Everybody was screaming, and she slid to the floor, holding her throbbing head. People started flying out of compartments and running up and down the corridor screaming, not noticing Lily. Jackie and Dion came running out of their compartment looking for Lily.

"LILY!" "LILY WHERE ARE YOU!" Was all Lily heard. She couldn't tell who was calling her or where they were. She started calling out to the voices.

"I'M HERE!" she yelled, her head throbbed painfully.

"LILY!"

"RIGHT HERE!" she called back, ignoring her head.

A few seconds later she saw two people running towards her, shoving people out of their way.

"Lily! Is that you!?" Dion called to a black mound on the ground.

"Dion!" Lily cried out, "You don't know how happy I am to see you!"

"Lily, we've got to get out of here!" Jackie shouted to her, helping her stand.

Lily had just regained her balance when the train stopped again, causing the three to fly into the compartment doors across the hall. One of them opened and they all fell inside, landing on something soft. The lights flickered again.

"Well, hello ladies! Nice of you to join us!" called Sirius through the dark.

None of them could see in the compartment. Jackie felt a hand on her back, feeling her up.

"Sirius Black, get your hands off me right now, before I break them!" Jackie shouted, trying to stand up. She sat down on the only empty seat, beside Remus, and the compartment door.

"Oh, how'd you know it was me?" Sirius said pouting. Jackie glared at him though the dark, but he couldn't see.

"Um, Lily?" Remus asked to the person across his lap.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry Remus!" she cried, jumping up off of him.

"No problem, Lily," Remus said kindly.

"You can come sit here, Lily," said a familiar voice playfully.

"I wouldn't sit with you if my life depended on it, James Potter!" Lily said, "Caleb, Alex! Where are you guys?"

"Over here, Lily," they called together, to her right. She walked over and sat on them, away from James.

"Well, where am I supposed to sit?" inquired Dion.

"Here Di', you sit here," Jackie said getting up and taking a seat on the ground in front of the window.

"Where are Alanna and Carrissa?" Lily asked.

"Their in the compartment, waiting on us," Dion replied.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, we can't get to them, now can we?" Jackie retorted.

"Sure, just make yourselves comfortable. It's not like this is our compartment or anything," Sirius joked. Jackie kicked his leg. "Okay, okay! You're welcome to stay!" he recovered, clutching his legs to his chest.

"Do you guys want us to take you back down to your compartment? Or we could go fetch Alanna and Carrissa," suggested Alex kindly.

"I am not going back out there. I have a bloody headache," Lily said gripping her head.

"Yeah, would you go get them please? I don't want to worry them," Dion said through the pitch, blackness.

"Sure. Who's coming with me?" asked Alex, standing up.

"I'll come, Alex," said Remus, also standing.

"We'll be right back ladies," Alex said directing his comment at everyone in the compartment.

"Why you little-!" called Sirius as they ran out the door. Lily and Jackie temporarily took the empty seats left by Alex and Remus.

"So once they get here, where are they going to sit?" asked James wonderingly.

"They'll join me on the floor," Jackie suggested coolly.

"How comfy," Dion said sarcastically.

"They could sit on us?" recommended Sirius, grinning.

"You wish," said Jackie, punching his arm.

"Hey! Enough with the kicking and the hitting already!" cried Sirius holding his arm, "You have violent friends, Lily!"

"I know," replied Lily, smirking, "Well, I think Sirius has a point… for once. The only other spots for them are sitting on you guys. However, I am not letting them anywhere near you two," she said pointing at Sirius and James, downing their happy faces.

"They can sit on Remus and Alex. If they consent of course. They're the only civilized people in here, other than Caleb, and I'm sitting on him. And I'm not even sure they're civilized!" she finished making her point very clear.

"Hey!" cried Caleb, sounding offended.

"Oh, shut up. You know it's true," Lily retorted.

"Well… yeah, okay," Caleb relented, smiling.

The door burst open and Alex and Remus came staggering in, breathless.

"Where are Alanna and Carrissa?" inquired Dion.

"They're not there!" Alex cried in between breaths.

"What do you mean they're not there!?" shouted Jackie angrily.

"They aren't in your compartment!" cried Remus.

"You idiots!" Jackie yelled, running out of the compartment.

"We have to find them!" said Lily, getting up and dragging Dion out of the compartment, closely followed by the Marauders.

"Alanna! Carrissa!" they all shouted through the crowd. Jackie didn't bother. She just pushed her way through the crowd, trying to get to their compartment.

"Where would they go?" asked Caleb making his way through the crowd.

"I don't know!" Lily shouted nervously, "Alanna! Carrissa!"

"Could the Slytherins have gotten them?" James asked inquiringly.

Lily stopped dead. What if the Slytherins had gotten them? Who knows what they were doing now. Alanna and Carrissa had more sense than to go out of the compartment when they were told to wait.

"Lily!" Alex shouted, shaking her from her thoughts, "C'mon! We've got to keep moving!"

Lily shrugged off the pain now shooting through her arms again, and continued calling to her friends.

"Lily! Dion! I found them!" shouted Jackie, reappearing at their sides, "Follow me! Come quick!" She took off once again through the crowd, Lily and Dion in her wake. Jackie led them through the door of the carriage, up the ladder, and onto the roof.

"Jackie! We're on top of a moving train! Why would they be here!?" called Dion, though the train could hardly be called 'moving'. It was only jerking every few seconds.

"Follow me!" was all Jackie said.

"Where are you guys going?!" called a voice from the ladder.

"Alex! Get down! We'll be back in a minute!" Lily shouted to him.

"Not on your life!" he said, climbing onto the roof, followed by the other Marauders.

Lily gave up and continued after Jackie. They were halfway to the other end of the carriage when Jackie stopped abruptly.

"What are you doing? Where are they?" inquired Lily, looking around her.

"Down there," Jackie said gravely, pointing over the edge of the carriage. Lily looked over the edge and there, sure enough, were Alanna and Carrissa, hanging on for dear life.

"Oh my goodness! How did you get there!?" Lily called to them.

"Help us up, would you!" Carrissa called back, her grip slipping. Lily grabbed Alanna's writs and pulled, as Jackie did the same with Carrissa.

"She's too heavy!" Lily cried to Dion, "I can't hold on!"

"I've got it Lily!" said James from behind her. He grabbed Alanna's wrists as Lily slipped hers off.

"Lily, I'm slipping!" shouted Jackie, who was indeed about to fall over the edge herself. Lily and Dion ran over to Jackie, grabbing her waist and pulling.

"I thought one person was heavy!" cried Lily over to Dion, who laughed causing Jackie to slip some more. "Dion!" Lily shouted in frustration. The train jerked and Lily and Dion lost their grip.

"Jackie! Carrissa!" Dion cried as she let go. Just then Alex bounded forward and grabbed Jackie's ankle. "Caleb! Get over here!" he cried in desperation. Remus and Caleb ran over and grabbed Alex, pulling them back onto the train.

Lily was so relieved, and then it dawned on her, "Alanna!" she turned around to see James and Sirius pulling her up. "Oh my Gosh! You guys scared the wits out of me!" Lily shouted at them regaining her senses, "How did you get there in the first place?!"

"Slytherins," was all Carrissa had to say. Everybody nodded in comprehension. "Oh…," Lily said sheepishly.

"Hey! Aren't you and Remus supposed to be at a meeting?" Alanna asked confused.

"Yes, well… I think it's cancelled now. Seeing as they can't get the train to work, and we're almost to Hogwarts anyway. Just over this next…," Remus said casually then a look of horror struck him, "hill. C'mon guys! We've got to get down off of here NOW!" he said grabbing Alanna and Carrissa's wrists, and running like mad to the ladder.

The others exchanged panicked looks before bolting after them. They found Remus at the ladder ushering the girls down, and motioning for every one to hurry up. Lily and Dion climbed down the ladder and rushed inside awaiting the others. Jackie and the Marauders slid down the ladder to save time, trying to get inside before they arched over the hill.

They made it inside and grabbed the girls' wrists, dragging them to their compartment, bracing for the second they lurched over the hill. They got inside and grabbed onto anything sturdy, ready to catch someone if they fell.

With one last jerk, the train peeked over the hill and began speeding down, uncontrollably. Luggage in the racks started flying out and toppling round the compartment. Everyone in the halls slid to the front, screaming. Compartment doors flew open and shut, causing panic with their slamming.

"Lily! Watch out!" cried Carrissa as a trunk came flying down about to hit her. James leapt forward, pulling Lily down, shielding her with his body, while covering his own head. The trunk hit his back hard, and then slid off onto the floor.

"James, mate! You alright?!" called Sirius, alarmed. James grabbed the seat, and pulled himself up, grabbing onto the hangar rack, and helping Lily up.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he answered, rubbing his back.

"This is why I hate heights!" cried Dion, clinging to the handle by the door for dear life. Just then, the door came slamming shut and crushed her hand. "Ahh! I can't feel my hand!" she screamed, holding the handle with one hand and slipping.

"Dion! You're slipping!" warned Jackie, as Dion slipped off and flew into the seat across from her, hitting her head on the wood, above the seat.

"Dion! Are you okay!?" cried Alanna, frightened. Dion slid off of the seat and onto the floor, unconscious.

"DION!" screamed Lily, letting go to check on Dion, but James held her back.

"She'll be alright! Just hang on tight!" shouted Remus.

The train sped down the hill for about a minute, picking up speed. It reached the bottom of the hill and sped off down the tracks to Hogsmeade station, but instead of stopping, it just kept going.

"How far do the tracks go on for, Remus?!" called Alex.

"About a half-mile!" Remus answered, shakily.

"We're going to crash!" Lily screamed in terror.

"Everybody, brace yourselves!" Caleb shouted, getting down on the floor. They all followed suit.

Suddenly, they found the train slowing down until it was almost to a crawl. Alanna started to get up, but James shouted, "NO! Stay down! You don't know it's safe yet!" pulling her back down.

The train stopped, then slowly, but surely started making its way backwards, to Hogsmeade. The train stopped again, but this time for good. People slowly started standing up, and filing out onto the station. Caleb and Alex peeked out the window, making sure it was safe.

"Guys! We're here!" Alex shouted joyously, "We're at Hogsmeade!"

"We made it!" yelled Caleb, helping the others up.

"How's Di'?" Lily asked making her way to Dion.

"She's okay. Just knocked out… I think," Sirius added mumbling. Lily glared at him.

"Dion. Dion wake up. We're at Hogsmeade. Wake up! Dion!" Lily shouted, trying to make her wake up.

"Lily," Caleb comforted, grabbing her arms. Lily flinched and stood up.

"Lily, she'll be okay," he comforted thinking she was just worried about Dion.

"Yeah, I know," Lily said walking out of the compartment.

They all gave each other confused looks, and shrugged. Sirius picked Dion up and carried her out of the compartment, followed by the rest of the Marauders, Jackie, Alanna, and Carrissa. They walked out onto the platform, and saw Lily standing in the crowd, her gaze fixed on the castle.

"Lily?" James asked, walking up to her.

"Dion needs the hospital wing. Then she'll be just fine," Lily said not taking her gaze off of the school.

"Right, okay. We'll do that, then," James replied confused.

"Have Sirius carry her up there. I'll join her shortly," Lily continued.

"Lily, are you alright?" James asked, thoroughly perplexed.

Lily turned to him. "I'm fine," she said smiling weakly, "Don't worry about me. Just hit my head, you know,"

"Right. Okay then. If you say so," James said, a bit relieved, but still confused. Lily turned and continued off to the horseless carriages.

Sirius caught up with James, "Soo… how'd it go?"

"I'm not sure," replied James, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, look at the bright side. At least she didn't yell at you!" Sirius joked.

"Yeah, I guess," James said perking up.

They all made their way to the carriages, where Lily had already gone. They all climbed in, and made their way to the school.

"Well, _That_ was a fun train ride!" said Jackie sarcastically.

* * *

_**So how was it? Tell me in a review or I won't post the next chapter! Which, by the way, is ready to post, but I won't post it if I don't get some more reviews! I will delete the story all together because I will think you guys think my story is awful! ;; Nah just kidding! But I am serious about the posting! No reviews No posting!**_


	3. Chapter 2: Schedules

_**Title**_

Lily climbed out of her carriage and made her way into the castle. Instead of following the others into the Great Hall, she went up to the fifth floor to the Hospital Wing.

"Ms. Evans! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be down in the Great Hall for the sorting?" asked an agitated Madame Prose.

"I have a friend on her way up here. She got knocked out on the train," Lily said honestly.

"That doesn't exactly explain why _you're_ here, does it?" stated the older woman, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well… I need your help. I got kind of banged up on the train ride," Lily said, partly honest.

"Well, let me see then," said Madame Prose, bustling over to Lily. Lily lifted her sleeves.

"Oh my," gasped Madame Prose, "Lily, are you sure this was just on the train?"

Lily's heart skipped a beat. "Yes," she said firmly.

"Mhmm," said Madame Prose, disbelievingly, but proceeded without question.

"Follow me," she said, heading behind a screen to a medicine cabinet. Lily followed, glad she wasn't asking further questions. The nurse turned back and examined Lily further.

"These go up pretty far. I'm going to have to ask you to take off your shirt, please," she said.

This was the only thing heard by Sirius Black and James Potter as they entered the Hospital Wing. They shot each other hopeful glances, grinning impishly.

"Umm… Madame Prose?" James said, trying to stop himself from laughing.

Behind the curtain, Lily froze. She knew that voice. She whispered desperately to Madame Prose, "Its James. He's here with Dion. Please don't tell him I'm here!" Madame Prose nodded comfortingly, before bustling out to meet the boys.

"What can I do for you?" Madame Prose said, agitated.

"Dion, here, got knocked out on the train ride," Sirius piped up.

"And her hand's broken, I'm pretty sure," James added.

"Well, set her here," Madame Prose said, motioning for the bed closest to them. They obeyed.

"Ennervate," she said seriously. Dion's eyes flickered open.

"How do you feel, Ms. Lyons?" Madame Prose asked gently.

"My hand hurts, so does my head," Dion answered weakly.

"Take this," Madame Prose said, handing her a bottle of headache potion. Dion obeyed as Madame Prose healed her hand silently.

"You may go down to the feast if you wish," Madame Prose said lightly.

"Um... Madame Prose? Whose behind that curtain?" asked Sirius playfully.

"That is none of your business, Mr. Black," she snapped.

"Have you seen Lily? I haven't seen her since she was at the station," asked James, changing the subject.

"No, I have not," Madame Prose lied as she ushered them out the doors, "Perhaps she is in the Great Hall already," She then turned around and proceeded back to Lily, who was waiting on her.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. Madame Prose just smiled.

"Now let me see," she said turning Lily round. She gasped as she saw her back. There were bruises all up her arms and down her back and sides. There were sparse cuts down her back and sides. There was also a deep gash on her right shoulder going down around her shoulder blade.

"How long has this been going on?" she asked, disgusted.

Lily didn't answer.

Madame Prose sighed. "Well, I think I'm going to have to keep you here overnight. Some of these are very bad," she said, getting a jar of thick yellow paste and rubbing it on her back and arms.

"Alright," Lily consented, knowing her friends would worry about her.

Most of the minor bruises cleared up quickly under the paste. Others were taking a bit longer. Madame Prose performed a spell on her cuts so that they closed up seamlessly. She then wrapped up her shoulder in bandages.

"Well, that's about all I can do for now," Madame Prose said, handing Lily a pair of pajamas.

"Thank you Madame Prose, really," Lily said slipping into the pajamas. Madame Prose smiled sweetly, "You're welcome, my dear," Lily slid into the hospital bed as Madame Prose took the screens down.

Lily listened to the sounds of the outdoors as she drifted off to sleep. She would wake up the next day and go about her life as normal, and no one had ever need know that she was in the Hospital Wing.

Down in the Great Hall, Lily's friends watched the Sorting distractedly.

"Did any of you see Lily come in?" Carrissa whispered urgently to the others. They all shook their heads anxiously. No one had seen Lily since the train station.

"I saw her head over to the horseless carriages, but that was the last I saw of her," James whispered back, concerned.

"She might be avoiding you, James," Sirius teased.

"Sirius, this isn't the moment for any of your stupid comments!" Dion said, hitting him in the back of the head. Sirius was about to express his indignation, but was cut off by Dumbledore standing up to make the usual announcements.

"Welcome students, old and new! I have only a few announcements to make before we begin our delectable feast," he began in his usual cheery tone, "To the first years… The Dark Forest is strictly forbidden, something some of our older students ought to remember as well," he said, eyeing the Marauders knowingly. They smiled back innocently.

"I also wish to announce that we have some changes made to our staffing this year. Professor McFedrew has decided to retire, however he will be replaced by an former pupil of ours, Professor Kettleburn!" there was a low applause for a shabby, aged looking wizard in patched robes.

"Also, as you all know of the tragic accident of last year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he was, unfortunately, forced to leave," he eyed the Marauders once again, only this time it wasn't as friendly. They shifted guiltily as he continued, "But I am pleaed to announce that his post will be taken by Professor Mikhail!" a handsome, foreign looking wizard stood up bowing slightly to a storm of applause, mainly from the girls. The applause quieted as he sat down, allowing Professor Dumbledore to continue.

"Also, Mr. Filch has reminded me, yet again, that there are great deals of objects prohibited, that somehow find their way into Hogwarts each year anyhow. Such as Fanged Frisbees, Love Potions, and the like. A complete list is, as always, available next to Mr. Filch's office on the ground floor. But enough of that! Let us enjoy our excellent feast!" he completed happily, sitting down in his own chair ready to eat.

As if that was their cue, food suddenly appeared on the golden plates before them. Sirius and James dived for the turkey as if it were a race, and began playing tug-of-war, each trying to get it for themselves.

"My word!" cried Alanna, watching the two boys.

"Just ignore them. They do this every year," Remus informed calmly, seizing the mashed potatoes before him.

The twins just grabbed trays and bowls, and started dumping random foods on their plates. They proceed to grab food with their hands and shove them into their mouths.

"Boys," Jackie sighed rolling her eyes. The other girls nodded in agreement.

"Wa? Wer hungry!" Caleb said, sending food flying.

"I believe I just lost my appetite," Dion announced, holding her stomach, sickeningly.

"I agree," Carrissa said, joining her in gripping her stomach.

"Well, I'm starving. So there's no way I'm going to let a couple of guys ruin my dinner," Jackie declared, grasping for the chicken, before it, too, was taken captive by the brutes.

"HAHA! IN YOUR FACE JAMES!" Sirius shouted triumphantly, having at last secured the turkey. Everyone in the hall turned to look at him questiongly.

"What? I got the turkey!" Sirius announced to the inquiring looks from the hall. They all rolled their eyes, and returned to their suppers. James, looking resentful, turned to the duck and started piling his plate.

"I agree with Jackie. I'm too hungry to let them spoil my dinner," Alanna said reaching for the bowl of salad.

"Remus, are you the only one here that's civilized?" inquired Carrissa.

"At the start of term feast, yes. Any other time, it's only Sirius who's the pig… usually," Remus said casting his friends annoyed looks.

About halfway through desert, Dion decided to breach the subject of Lily again.

"Hey, James? Do you think she might be in the Hospital Wing?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Nah. Sirius asked Madame Prose who was in there and she wouldn't tell us. She would've told us if it was Lily. Besides, Lily wasn't even hurt that bad anyway. She didn't need the Hospital Wing," James informed between bites.

"Well, I guess you're right. But why would Madame Prose have told you if it was Lily in there?" Dion continued, confused.

"Because Madame Prose knows I'm familiar with Lily. If anything was wrong with her, she would tell me. Lily and I are friends," James said casually.

Jackie scoffed, "Friends, my aunt's fanny! Lily hates you, and the last person she would tell something to is you!"

"I dunno, Jack'. They seemed quite cozy today," Sirius said skeptically. Jackie threw him a murderous glare. Sirius was always messing with her, and she _hated_ that stupid name he called her.

"Well it's not exactly like we wanted to spend the train ride with the lot of you! We didn't really have a choice of which compartment we fell in, you know!" Dion said irritably. James and Sirius just shrugged.

"Guys, why don't we quit worrying about it? She'll turn up. We need to stop thinking about it, or we'll jump to unreasonable conclusions. Then we'll all get frightened and nervous, and when she turns up she'll be irritated with all of the questions we'll ask her in our relief!" explained Alanna swiftly. They all stared at her with blank faces.

"Okay… Now explain that again for us please? Only this time, not the Daytona 500 version," Caleb said slowly. Everyone, excluding Alex and Carrissa, shot him a strange look.

"You know. Racing, NASCAR, ERL, any of that ring a bell?" he continued exasperated. They all shook their heads, but they got the picture. Racing.

"Basically, we all need to stop worrying, or things will definitely get bad," Alanna explained calmly.

"And they aren't already?" inquired Carrissa sarcastically.

"They'll get worse!" Alanna corrected with a huff.

"Alanna is right. Let's all just relax and let things play out. We'll reassess this problem tomorrow," Remus proposed. They all agreed to let it go until then.

They finished supper and headed up the Grand Staircase to Gryffindor Tower. Marching up to their seperate dormitories, they failed to say their goodbyes. The girls entered their room, half-expecting Lily to be in her bed.

They were disappointed, however, to enter an empty dormitory, where all of their things had been laid out by the house-elves, as usual. They all climbed into bed, and though they didn't voice it, they were all still worrying about Lily.

Lily awoke early the next morning, and, after getting approval from the nurse, she got dressed and headed down to breakfast. She wanted to get there early so she would be there when her friends arrived. It would make it easier to compose a cover story.

There were few people in the Great Hall this early. The ones that _were_ there certainly weren't Gryffindors. Lily chose a seat half-way down the hall and sat down to enjoy her breakfast.

She looked around the hall at the few other occupants. There were two Ravenclaw fourth years, and one Slytherin sixth year. Lily didn't know either of the Ravenclaws, but she did recognize the dark, greasy haired Severus Snape. He was scrawny and pale, and disliked by many in the school.

Lily had tried to help him out of a tight spot with James and Sirius last year, but he just insulted her, saying that he didn't need help from a mudblood. James had tried to make him apologize, but Lily got mad at him too, for being a pompous, arrogant prat. She had then run back to the school, crying.

Lily distinctly remembered that occurrence, although many like that had happened in the past few years. In each case either James, Snape, or both were being pricks and she had run into the comfort of either her friends or her brothers, who would, in turn, take care of James.

Lily turned back to the food, and began fixing her plate. She got scrambled eggs and toast with some pumpkin juice, and, beginning to eat, she started to formulate a cover story for her being missing the previous night.

Not too long after, she saw Dion and Alanna entering the hall, gossiping intently. However, they didn't seem to notice Lily as they took their seats a little beyond hers. Lily just shook her head pityingly and returned to her meal, smiling lightly.

It didn't take too long, though, before they turned and realized Lily was there. A few seconds later, there was an outburst loud enough to wake the dead.

"LILY!" cried Dion, relieved.

"Where have you been!!?" shouted Alanna, trying to sound stern, but failing in her relief.

The entire hall, not that there was much, turned to observe the episode with looks of confusion, interest, or, in Snape's case, annoyance.

" Hey! I'm fine! I'll explain everything when everyone gets here all right?" Lily proclaimed, not wanting to have to repeat her story, and possibly change it accidentally.

She waited until Jackie and Carrissa arrived, still half-asleep, to begin her account.

"On my way here last night, we hit a bump in the road and I fell out of the carriage and bumped my head. It wasn't very bad, but Madame Prose wanted me to stay overnight to make sure there wasn't any extensive damage," Lily shammed, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all, but I went straight to Madame Prose and I wasn't allowed to leave,"

"I had to go to the Hospital Wing, too. I didn't see you there. Were you behind the screen?" Dion asked suspiciously.

"Um, yes. I was changing into my pajamas," Lily lied quickly. The others seemed convinced and Lily let go a breath she didn't know she was holding. Who knew she could be such a good fibber?

Moments later, Remus Lupin and James Potter entered the Great Hall. Remus was chatting animatedly with James, who looked rather drowsy. James looked up as he entered the hall, trying to find the perfect seat. It took him a minute, but he soon saw Lily sitting with her friends. He ran over to her and hugged her in relief.

"Lily Evans! Where have you been?!" he asked, also trying to sound stern, but failing.

"I don't believe that's any of your business, Potter. Now if you will excuse me, I would be greatly pleased if you would let go of me," Lily said curtly. James looked offended, but said nothing as he let her go. She turned back to her friends, ignoring James.

"Don't worry, mate. She's just telling you that nothing's changed between you two," Remus informed, amused, though he did think her behavior was a bit uncalled for.

"That much is obvious. Why does she have to be so rude about it?" James asked quizzically.

"It's the same way she acted last year. She's not rude, just annoyed," Remus explained.

"Remus, how do you know so much about girls and their behaviors?" James questioned, bemused.

"I pay attention, Prongs. A skill you and Sirius lack greatly," laughed Remus, "But I don't know all that much about girls. They're too complex. I just know the obvious things. Things _you_ don't notice because you're too busy drooling over them to listen!"

"Right. If you say so, Mooney," James said skeptically. Remus just shrugged, and turned to his meal.

"Lily, why are you so rude to him?" Alanna asked incredulously.

"I'm not being rude. It's the same way I've always acted towards him," Lily replied.

"Yeah, rude," said Carrissa honestly.

"Well, you can make conversation with him if you like. I'm not going to," Lily said stubbornly.

"You know what? I think I might," Alanna said with a huff. She got up and moved over to sit across from James and Remus. Lily shrugged and continued her meal.

"Hey guys! Sorry about Lily over there. She's just grouchy this morning," Alanna explained coolly.

"It's alright, Alanna. No need to apologize," Remus stated kindly.

"Yeah, it's not your fault she's a grouch," James said loudly, glancing over at Lily. Remus rolled his eyes.

"So, did you two have good summers?" she asked cheerfully.

"Pleasant enough," answered Remus.

"It was alright," James replied.

"Mine was fine, too. But oh! You should here about Lily's!" she exclaimed suddenly, "But of course, she won't tell you. So I suppose I ought to," The boys looked at her with raised eyebrows. She was quite gossipy this morning.

"Well, Lily was so busy this summer she didn't even have time to write! So, she told us on the train what happened, because of course, we were hot and bothered about it. It turns out, that she had to go to France! She was there for a while, but she was busy shopping and site-seeing, so there was no time to write, because when you get home, you're obviously worn out. So then she goes back home and plans to write to us, but her stepfather got promoted!" Alanna went on. The boys just nodded their heads, barely taking in a word she said.

"So obviously she had to clean the house for all of the dinner guests coming over and such. Then she had to go to….oh where was it!? Spain! Yes, she went to Spain to meet a co-worker of her stepfather's. By the time she got back home, she was so exhausted that she slept for two whole days! Poor dear. She barely made it to the train on time! Petunia was screaming about some lost shirt and woke her up in the nick of time!" she finished quickly.

"Has anyone ever told you, that you gossip worse than an old maid?" James inquired dumbfounded. Alanna blushed uncomfortably.

"No you don't. You just talk very fast and always have news!" Remus lied reassuringly.

"Thanks," she replied gratefully.

There was a loud _**BANG! **_And Sirius entered, giving himself a double door entrance. He practically danced down the table to where James was sitting. He seemed to have forgotten all about Lily being missing. Caleb and Alex followed, amused expressions on their faces.

"Hello Boys! Lady!" Sirius said jumping into his seat and digging in.

"Hey, Sirius! Had a good lie in?" James asked, not wanting to use his nickname in front of non-Marauders.

"Yes, I did! Thank you for asking!" he said brightly.

"You three have good summers?" Remus asked good-naturedly.

"The usual," Caleb said grabbing some bacon.

"Sitting at home, owling, hanging out, the like," Alex finished, stealing some of his brother's bacon, ignoring his indignant, "HEY!"

"I suppose you could say mine was good," Sirius said indifferently.

"What do you mean?" asked Alanna, eyes wide with interest.

"I finally had enough with my parents. I ran away," he continued, apathetic.

"Yeah! He came to my house!" James said laughing, "Gave my parents quite a scare, didn't you? Showing up in the middle of the night," He and Sirius cackled reminiscently.

"Why did you run away?" Alanna asked, confused.

All of the Marauders went silent, looking warily at Sirius, who had suddenly gone silent. He didn't like discussing his family. It was a touchy subject, one that caused him pain.

"Did I say something wrong?" Alanna asked worriedly.

"No, Alanna. You didn't do anything wrong," James said comfortingly.

"Let's just drop it, shall we?" Alex suggested quickly. Everyone nodded, desperete to change the subject.

"So… How did everyone do on their O.W.L.'s?" Caleb questioned.

They continued on that note until Sirius decided he wanted some toast. He got up to go look for it down the Gryffindor table, and on his way, spotted Lily. He forgot about the toast, opting, instead, to rush towards Lily, scooping her up in a relived hug.

"Lily! YOU'RE ALIVE!!" he shouted dramatically, holding on to her, "I was lost without you!"

"Black! Get off of me! I can't breathe!" Lily cried, thinking it was a good thing she had gotten mended last night, otherwise she would be in constant agony with all the hugging she was getting. Sirius let go reluctantly.

"What's gotten into you!?" she asked, glaring at him. Sirius looked affronted.

"Lily! The better question is what has gotten into _you_?!" shouted Dion angrily, getting up from her seat. Lily stared at her, dumbfounded. The hall, which had filled considerably, turned to watch the scene.

"Lily, all these people have done since last night is worry about you!" she cried, pointing at the other Marauders, "Now I can understand you being harsh with James, to a point, but only to a point. You are being very foul today, and I don't know what's up, but I know that whatever it is, I don't like it. You've been acting odd ever since we saw you on the platform. What happened to dear, sweet Lily Evans, the girl I used to know?" she said, nearly in tears.

With a hard sniff, Dion ran out of the hall without a second glance. Lily started to go after her, but halted when she felt a gentle hand pulling her down. Lily obeyed it and sat. Sirius got up sadly and walked back over to his friends, all of whom were staring at Lily with clear looks of irritation.

Lily felt guilty. She hadn't realized that she had been so foul. She turned to look at the owner of the hand. It was Carrissa. Lily gave her a guilty look, Carrissa responding with an understanding nod.

Two seconds later, Jackie noticed the hall still silently watching. Growling, she stood up and shouted, "HEY PEOPLE! NOTHING TO SEE HERE! THIS ISN'T A SOAP OPERA YOU KNOW! RETURN TO YOUR BREAKFASTS!" Everyone in the room jumped a bit and hurriedly returned to their meals, making quick conversation with whoever was nearest. Jackie scowled.

Lily shot her a grateful look. She was starting to feel like a fish in a bowl. Jackie returned her it with a smile. Something she only did for her friends.

"Dion's right you know," Carrissa stated truthfully. Lily nodded.

"I'm on your side Lily. I think you treated those pests exactly as they deserved," Jackie said, trying to comfort her friend.

"Thanks," Lily said half-heartedly. She was grateful for the support, but the fact that she was treating people the same way Jackie did wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Look Carrissa, I'm sorry-," she started sadly, but was cut off by Carrissa's hand flying up to stop her.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she said pointedly. Lily smiled thankfully and got up, moving over to where the Marauders were sitting.

"Hey," she said nervously. They ignored her.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I hadn't realized how much of a jerk I was being. There's no excuse for it. All you were trying to do was help, and I was a prat. I'm sorry," she said, her face downcast.

Slowly, they turned to look at her, blank expressions on their faces. Then suddenly Sirius burst out laughing, scaring Lily half to death, and causing the others to join in. Sirius and the twins stood up and hugged her, and told her to have a seat, which she gladly accepted.

They were all still chuckling when James, on the other side of the table, stood up and raised his hand laughing in an 'It's alright manner', about to speak. Lily, however, recoiled instinctively, afraid of being hit. They all stopped hooting and stared at Lily.

"I was just going to say 'its fine'," James admittedly guiltily, putting his hand down slowly.

Lily opened her eyes to the awkward situation, and embarrassedly tried to make it seem like she was scratching her head. She stood up still slowly, giggling embarrassedly, and made a dash for the double doors. They all looked after her, clearly worried.

"Do you think we should go after her?" Caleb whispered to Alex.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Alex whispered back.

"Well, she is our sister,"

"Yeah, but this might be one of those girl things,"

"Nah, or else Alanna would be going after her,"

"Good point,"

"So what are we going to do?"

"We might as well,"

"Yeah, okay. Let's tell the others,"

"Hey, guys! We'll be right back," Alex announced to the Marauders and Alanna.

"Whatever," Sirius said through a mouthful of food.

"Can we see the map, James?" Caleb asked holding out his hand. James nodded, and pulled the parchment out from his robe pocket, handing it to them.

"Thanks," they called as they ran out of the hall.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Caleb said once they were alone in the Entrance Hall. "Where the heck is Lily?" he muttered.

"There! The Black Lake!" Alex pointed out excitedly, bounding off through the Great Oak Doors.

"Mischief Managed!" Caleb said, following his brother. They sprinted down the grounds towards lake. Lily was already sitting at the edge, her face buried in her hands.

"Lily! Lily, are you alright!?" they called down to her. She looked up in alarm, her eyes red and puffy. She had, obviously, been crying.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Alex asked softly, sitting down beside her. She buried her face once again.

"Nothing! Go Away!" she sobbed, her voice muffled. Caleb sat down on her other side, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Lily, what's the matter? What happened in the Great Hall?" he asked gently.

"Would you two please just go away!?" she bawled.

"Not until you tell us what happened," Alex said firmly.

"Nothing happened!" she said, getting up and wiping her eyes, "Now if you will excuse me, I need to go get my schedule," And with that, she walked off, leaving the two boys utterly perplexed. They just shrugged and followed her, needing to get theirs' as well.

"So, what's up?" Remus asked as the twins entered the hall, taking their seats.

"Dunno," Caleb stated, setting his head on his hands.

"She wouldn't tell us," Alex said, mimicking his twin.

"She wouldn't tell you? She always tells you," James stated looking up.

"She didn't this time," Caleb said simply.

"Wow. I wonder what's wrong?" Alanna questioned worriedly, glancing over at where Lily now sat with Jackie and Carrissa.

There was little time to contemplate, though, as Professor McGonagall was now sweeping down the row handing out schedules.

"Hello, Professor! You look ravishing today!" Sirius procalimed, as Professor McGonagall approached him. James and the twins rolled in the floor laughing.

"Don't press your luck, Black. It may be the first day, but I won't hesitate to put you in detention," she snarled, her lips as thin as a toothpick. Sirius just smiled and took his timetable.

"Today: Charms first before lunch, followed by double potions," he announced, consulting his agenda, "What about you guys?"

"Transfiguration, then Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy," Remus stated, looking at his own schedule.

"Transfiguration and double potions," James answered plainly.

"Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, and Charms," Caleb said dully.

"Same," Alex said, raising his hand slightly.

"I've got Charms, Transfiguration, then Arithmancy," Alanna said happily.

"Why are you so happy?" Sirius asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Because I like all of these classes. Besides, I'm not alone in any of them," she replied with a grin.

"If you say so," he said shaking his head.

"Hey Lily, what classes do you have today?" Alanna said, getting up and moving down to her.

"Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, and Arithmancy," Lily answered, looking down at her schedule.

"You have the same agenda as Remus!" Alanna informed, surprised.

"Wow, that's weird," Lily said, though she didn't look as shocked.

"What do you two have today, Carrissa, Jackie?" she asked.

"Care of Magical Creatures, and double potions," Jackie answered, not even bothering to look at her schedule.

"Charms, Transfiguration, and Arithmancy," Carrissa said looking at her agenda.

"You're with me today, Carrissa! Isn't that great?!" Alanna announced excitedly.

"I guess. What's got you so hyped today? You're usually so quiet and shy," Carrissa questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just the first day. Tomorrow she'll be back to normal," Jackie grumbled as she grabbed her books and began to head out of the hall.

"See you two later," Lily waved, following Jackie's example of leaving.

* * *

**_So there it is. the edited version. If you can't tell the difference, that's okay. Just wait for the new chapter which I will post soon I promise! I just need to get started on chapter 4 so I won't be too far behind. If this is your first time reading, please review! If its not, please review! lol. see you in Chapter 3!_**


	4. Chapter 3: Classes

_**Hello Again! Thanks to all of you who reviewed, I really appreciate it!**_

* * *

_**Classes**_

Lily walked up the Grand Staircase to the Transfiguration classroom. She knocked twice and entered. The classroom was empty. Undoubtedly, Professor McGonagall was still handing out schedules.

Lily walked through the rows of desks till she was in about the middle of the classroom. She set her books down, and proceeded to take her seat. Opening her book, she began to brush up on her Transfiguration. It wasn't her best subject, but she was still relatively good at it.

A few minutes later, her concentration was interrupted by the door opening abruptly. Lily turned with a start to see who was at the door. Expecting it to be Professor McGonagall, she was surprised to see James and Remus walking casually down the rows.

"Well, hello Ms. Evans! What a pleasant surprise!" James said in his usual cheery voice.

"Hello Lily," Remus said, rolling his eyes at his friend's behavior.

"Hello boys," she said, returning the greeting, though not with as much enthusiasm as James.

"Why! Whatever is the matter, dear lady?" he cried theatrically, sliding into the seat beside her.

"James, I'm really not in the mood today. Please just leave me alone," Lily pleaded.

"Alright, I can take a hint," he said getting up, "But I'll be back for you, my fair maiden," he added playfully with a wink, before Remus dragged him off to a seat at the other end of the class.

"Why! Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin, Ms. Evans! You certainly are early!" Professor McGonagall cried from the doorway. They all turned to look at her with blank expressions, save James who had a huge grin on his face. She swept to the front of the classroom and began to prepare for the class.

"What can I say, Professor? We're eager to learn," James said, still grinning, causing Professor McGonagall to snort skeptically.

The class slowly started to fill and a Ravenclaw boy took the seat beside Lily. She recongized him as Jonathan Fennerly. All she knew about him was that he was beater on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Oh, and the fact that he had a huge crush on Lily Evans. Lily, however, thought boys idiots.

"Hey Lily," he said politely.

"Hello, Jonathan," she said, obviously trying to ignore him.

"Class! Quiet down!" Professor McGonagall called impatiently, "Copy the notes on the board, and we shall begin," she announced as words appeared on the empty blackboard.

"So Lily, are you looking forward to the upcoming Quidditch match?" Jonathan whispered.

"Not really," Lily whispered back, writing furiously.

"Oh, I suppose not since it isn't Gryffindor," he breathed, slightly disappointed.

"Is that all you boys ever think about? Quidditch?" she asked, agitated. He looked taken aback.

"Well… no. We think about other things, too," he said sounding slightly upset.

"Well, for your information, it isn't because it isn't Gryffindor. It's because I don't like Quidditch," Lily huffed curtly.

Across the room, James and Remus were having a hushed battle of their own.

"Look at that prick. What's he whispering in her ear?" James demanded furiously, glaring at the back of Jonathans head.

"James, I really don't know. Lily is a big girl, and can take care of herself. Besides, I doubt he's trying to do anything in the middle of class," Remus answered, not looking up.

"He's practically breathing down her neck! Probably trying to feel her up, get her all worked up," he whispered, not hearing Remus, who just rolled his eyes and ignored him.

"Is everybody done with their notes?" Professor McGonagall called five minutes later, "Good. Now, as your notes clearly state, we will be learning about human transformations this term. These types of transfigurations are very complex and dangerous. We will be starting with simple things such as eyebrows and ear hair,"

James and Remus exchanged knowing looks.

"We will then progress to things such as fingers and limbs, then finally to the entire body. It will be a slow process, so do not get hasty. These are difficult spells to learn and require patience and concentration. Any lack there of will result in disaster. So I cannot impose on you enough, the seriousness of what we are about to attempt. Do not go into it with a faint heart or weak mind,"

The bell rang dismissing class.

"We will begin next week. Class dismissed!" she declared.

Lily scooped up her notes and books, rushing out of the classroom in an attempt to get away from Jonathan Fennerly. She made her way down to the Great Hall and took her seat by Dion. Dion ignored her and continued eating.

"Dion, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was being such a prat. I wanted to thank you for helping me see that, and say I'm sorry. There was no excuse for it," Lily apologized solemnly.

"Did you tell the others this?" Dion asked nonchalantly. She was always worried about everyone but herself. It would ultimately be her downfall, but Lily admired her for it.

"Yes,"

"…I forgive you," she said turning to Lily, smiling and giving her a hug.

"Group Hug!!" Sirius shouted bounding into the hall and joining in the embrace.

"How could you have a group hug without me?!" James hollered, pretending to sound hurt, darting over and squeezing them all. They all let go laughing as the others entered the hall.

"Aw! Isn't that sweet? Lily and James are finally hugging!" Caleb teased waltzing down tables towards them. James beamed, but Lily looked indignant. Jackie smacked Caleb for her, seeing as he was taking his sweet time getting down the hall to her.

"Thank you, Jackie," Lily said proudly as Jackie took her seat on Lily's other side.

"Hey!" James cried resentfully, but Jackie ignored. With a snort, he took the seat across from Lily.

"Budge up, Potter," Carrissa demanded.

"I was here first!" he said, annoyed.

"Does it look like I care?" she retorted. He grudgingly moved over so he was in front of Dion. Alanna came down the hall and paused briefly before him.

"I am _not_moving for you!" he shouted irritably. She looked affronted, and Lily just laughed.

"I wasn't going to say anything!" Alanna cried offended, taking the seat in front of Jackie.

"Good!" he yelled. Lily, Dion and Sirius were positively rolling on the floor with laughter at this point, and Sirius didn't even have a seat yet.

"Sirius, mate!" Alex shouted trying to help him up, although he was laughing as well.

"I'm… coming," he hooted between laughs. Remus and the twins just rolled their eyes and moved on, taking their seats.

"So how was class?" asked a disheveled looking Alex.

"Alright. This Ravenclaw guy tried to get friendly with me, though. I told him to piss off," Lily said casually, taking a bite of her sandwhich. James looked at her with big bug eyes, but she didn't notice.

"Alex, Jackie, and I had an interesting first class didn't we?" Caleb said, chuckling.

"That's an understatement," Jackie stated simply.

"Yeah, first class, and we get scared out of our shirts by a silent bird. Yes, very interesting," Alex said sarcastically.

"Oh! We're doing Jobberknolls today! How exciting," Remus said eagerly.

"What are Jobberknolls?" Dion asked curiously.

"You'll see," he replied patiently, not looking up from his underdone steak.

"We already have tons of homework for Charms!" cried Alanna suddenly, "I don't know how I'm going to finish it all!"

"It's only because you couldn't do the Charm correctly," explained Carrissa simply, "I don't see how you couldn't though. It was review, for Merlin's sake!"

"Hey! I haven't practiced in a while!" she retorted, sounding slightly hurt. James and Sirius were surveying the scene, looks of amusement on their faces.

"Hey Dion, what's your schedule for today?" Lily asked, interested.

"I had Arithmancy, and now I have to go to Care of Magical Creatures and then Charms," she said, pulling out her timetable and examining it.

"Remus and I have Care of Magical Creatures next too! You'll be with us," Lily announced gleefully.

"Speaking of, Lily. We had better get moving if we want to get there on time," Remus added, calmly looking at his watch.

"Oh, yes!" she said, stuffing her things into her bag, "C'mon Dion, Remus! Let's Go!" she added, grabbing the two and rushing out of the hall. James looked after Remus jealously.

Lily dragged the two out the oak doors and onto the lawns before they informed Lily that they could walk by themselves. They arrived down near the Forbidden Forest with a group of Slytherins, waiting on class to start. Lily, Remus, and Dion were perplexed as to why the Slytherins were taking the class again, since they had expressed clear dislike for it in previous years.

"Hey mudblood, might want to tone your hair down a little. It's known to attract Erklings," taunted Bellatrix.

"Yeah, didn't you know there's a colony in there? Or was it too much for the non-magical mind to handle?" drawled Narcissa.

"Shove off, Black. Every educated person knows that Erklings have poor eyesight, and don't care if you have red hair or not. They just want to claw you apart. Or was that too much for the pureblood mind to handle?" Remus sardonically, trying to comfort Lily while simultaneously one-upping the Slytherins.

"Class! Assemble over here!" called the new professor, approaching them from the forest. They all obeyed, if hesitantly. Professor Kettleburn was holding a large, baby blue bird. It looked rather aged and ruffled, much like the professor.

"Does anyone know what this is?" he asked, motioning to the bird. Remus shot his hand in the air, but Bellatrix just drawled, "A bird,"

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Black. Now could you please demonstrate the correct way to piss off?" Dion said heatedly. Bellatrix looked ready to hex her.

"Now, now class. No need for that kind of language here. Yes, young man," he said addressing Remus.

"That is a Jobberknoll," Remus stated matter-of-factly.

"Correct! Five points to Gryffindor. Now, can anyone tell me what sound it makes?" he asked interestedly. Again, Remus' hand was first in the air.

"Chirp," stated Narcissa, uninterestedly.

"That is incorrect. Mr. Lupin?" he said, calling on Remus again.

"It is silent until the last moments of its life. Then it calls out all of the sounds it's ever heard in reverse order," he said fascinated.

"Right again, Mr. Lupin! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Professor Kettleburn exclaimed, pleased, "Now I think this one is nearing death, so if everyone would please take a pair of ear-muffs, the calls can get quite loud,"

Everyone put the earmuffs on, and stared at the bird. It did nothing. They sat there for about ten minutes until the Slytherins lost their cools.

"What the bloody hell am I waiting for? I have better things to do then sit here, watching a dumb, silent bird with ear-muffs on! When is it going to die!" cried Bellatrix, irritably, throwing away her ear-muffs.

"Patience, Bella. You know why we are here. Do not mess things up now," Narcissa hissed in her sister's ear.

"Ms. Black, you cannot make these things happen. You must have patience," Professor Kettleburn informed. Just then the bird on the ground opened its mouth and burst out in loud screeches and hisses and hoots, even song.

Bellatrix, who had no ear-muffs, covered her ears desperately, but it wasn't near as effective as the muffs. By the end of the Jobberknoll's lament, Bellatrix was nearly deaf.

"Bella, Bella can you hear me? Bellatrix!" Narcissa cried from behind her. She had to scream in her ear to get her message across, so secrets were non-existent. The Gryffindors were positively delighted. It was like Christmas had come early! They were slightly down-heartened when Professor Kettleburn said she would be alright.

"Take her up to the Hospital Wing. Madame Prose will fix her right up," he said easily.

Narcissa and Bellatrix rushed up the lawn to the castle, Narcissa screaming herself hoarse in Bellatrix's ear.

The three Gryffindors made their way up slowly after them, laughing their heads off. The bell hadn't rung yet, so they took their time. They got to the castle, and Dion decided to make her way up to Charms and try to be first, since the bell would ring any minute. Lily and Remus stood there, not really knowing what to do.

"Well, I guess we could go ahead and start heading to Arithmancy. It _is_ on the sixth floor after all," Remus suggested. Lily nodded in agreement. They ascended the marble staircase and were passing the fourth floor when the bell rang, and a flood of students nearly engulfed them, knocking them back down the stairs.

"What are they so eager about? It's the first day of school!" Lily muttered incredulously.

"Last class of the day, I suppose," Remus answered back, wading his way through the flood of students, Lily in his wake. They reached the sixth floor, flustered, but alive.

"Well, I thought we would be the first here, but I guess I was wrong," Lily said, observing the class that was already nearly full.

The two made their way to the only empty set of double desks. Lily sat down, and Remus pushed her chair in, being the gentleman he was. He was about to sit down when his seat was taken by none other than Jonathan Fennerly. Remus looked like he would hit him.

"Jonathan, I'm not interested in you. Go away," Lily said calmly, though still firmly.

"Ah, sweet denial," he said rubbing her hand that was lying on the desk. It took all of Remus' self control not to punch him right then. Lily pulled her hand back.

"Stop touching me Jonathan, and leave now," Lily said firmly.

"You know you like it," he said suavely, rubbing her leg. The only reason Remus didn't punch him now was because he was beat to it by Lily, who slapped him across the face. She stood up.

"C'mon Remus. We'll sit somewhere else," she stated turning around and searching for a suitable seat.

"Hey, there's Alanna and Carrissa!" she said pointing across the room. They maneuvered around the many desks over to where the girls were, Lily taking her seat next to Carrissa and Remus taking his next to Alanna. Lily noticed Jonathan send her a scathing look out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"I saw Jonathan messing with you over there. I'm surprised Remus didn't punch him, honestly," Carrissa said.

Remus turned in his seat, "It took self-restraint," he said darkly.

"Excuse me! If you will kindly discontinue your chatter, I would like to start my class please," Professor Hendrickson said tartly. The class quieted.

"Thank you. Today we shall be calculating each other's Social, Heart, and Character numbers. It should take a little while, so when you are done, bring you results up to me," she announced. The class looked slightly down-hearted. Calculating names by hand was time consuming.

"Well, lets get started," Lily said half-heartedly. She had never liked math.

"Lily Evans….hmm…that's 3,9,3,7 and 5,4,1,5,1" Carrissa said consulting her chart.

"Now add them up… 38" Lily stated screwing up her eyes in concentration.

"Now… 3+811… that's not single digit so…." Carrissa was biting her toungue.

"1+12… that's my Character number," Lily proclaimed excitedly.

"Let's look it up in the book… it says, _Two represents interaction, two-way communication, cooperation, and balance. Twos are imaginative, creative, and sweet natured. Peace, harmony, commitment, loyalty, and fairness are characteristic. But two also introduces the idea of conflict, opposing forces, and the contrasting sides of things: night and day, good and evil. Twos can be withdrawn, moody, self-conscious and indecisive._, hm… sounds like you got a two-way deal there sister," she said laughing.

"Enough with the two's…Now that we know my general personality type, let's figure out my heart number," Lily said annoyed.

"Okay… your vowel numbers are 9 and 5,1" Carrissa stated referring to the sheet she made.

"Add them up that's… 15" Lily said quickly.

"1+56…. So your Heart number is 6. What does the book say that means?" she asked interestedly.

"_Six represents harmony, friendship, and family life. Sixes are loyal, reliable, and loving. They adapt easily. They do well in teaching and the arts, but are often unsuccessful in business. They are sometimes prone to gossip and complacency. _Well that's my desires and fears…," Lily stated simply.

"Now for your Social number. Your consonant numbers were 3,3,7 and 4,1,5," Carrissa said looking at the numbers she hadn't used last time.

"That's… 23 altogether," Lily said, "Why am I doing all the hard math? I hate math,"

"I dunno. Now 2+3 5…what does the book say?" Carrissa.

"_Five is the number of instability and imbalance, indicating change and uncertainty. Fives are drawn to many things at once but commit to none. They are adventurous, energetic and willing to take risks. They enjoy travel and meeting new people but may not stay in one place very long. Fives can be conceited, irresponsible, quick-tempered and impatient._ That sounds like Potter… conceited," Lily stated unhappily.

"It said 'can be' and you aren't so… I think it does sound like how you try to appear to the world. Anyway, now we know your outer personality!" Carrissa said changing the subject back.

"Oo-de-lolly," Lily said sarcastically, "Guess we should do you now huh?"

"Nope! I know me already! I did me ages ago. Character is 5, Heart is 4, Social is 1. I looked it up and it's nothing like me,"

"Well did you write it down?" Lily asked impatiently.

"Of course," she said pulling out a piece of parchment from her bag, "I'll go turn it in,"

Lily sat there in silence thinking. Then someone plopped down in the seat beside her, she opened her eyes, it was too soon for Carrissa to be back yet.

"Hello Lily," said a deep voice.

"Jonathan, if you don't go away, I will call the teacher," Lily threatened, moving as close to the wall as she could.

"Call all you want, it won't change a thing," he said running a hand up and down her crossed leg, trying desperately to get to the inside. Curse skirts and hose being part of the uniform!

"Take you hands off me," she warned.

"Or what?" he said putting his other hand around her, pulling her to him.

"I'm warning you. This is you last chance. Take. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Me." she stated plainly.

"No, I don't think I will," he said bending down to kiss her neck.

In a spilt second, Lily had her wand out, pointed at Jonathan, a quick effective curse muttered, and sent him flying off of her, into some desks. She stood up menacingly, the entire class was looking at her, teacher and all, and the walked over to Jonathan and pointed her wand at him.

"I warned you," was all Lily said. She turned on her heel, grabbed her books and stalked out of the classroom, all eyes still on her. Remus, Alanna and Carrissa exchanged shocked looks, then hurried away after her.

"Lily!" they called after her. They ran and finally caught up with her just before the Grand Staircase.

"Lily! Where are you going?" asked Alanna concernedly.

"To scrub my neck," Lily stated slightly irritably.

"What? Why?" Remus asked confused.

"Lily, What happened?" Carrissa asked softly. Lily stopped and turned to them.

"Jonathan Fennerly, the git, came over and sat down next to me while you were turning the papers in. I told him to leave, but you know him, he wouldn't. He tried to feel me up. I told him to take his hands off me. He didn't. He was about to kiss my neck when I hexed him," Lily explained heatedly.

Remus clenched his fists, Alanna had covered her mouth with her hands, and Carrissa just stood there aghast.

"I'm so sorry, Lily. I shouldn't have left you," Carrissa said, her face downcast.

"Don't be ridiculous. You had to turn the papers in. Besides, I don't really care. He's just a prick, and I can take care of myself," Lily said consolingly.

"I didn't hear him. He was right behind me, and I didn't hear him," Remus was muttering to himself.

"He was being very discreet about it, Remus. Guys, don't beat yourselves up over it. Really, it only went as far as it did because I allowed it to. I could have stopped it at any moment. I wanted to give him a chance to stop. He chose not to take it though…Idiot," Lily said comfortingly.

"Come on guys, lets go," Alanna said, speaking for the first time since Lily had explained. They all nodded and proceeded down the Marble Staircase. They went up to Gryffindor Tower to wait for the others.

They pulled out their homework and got started, but were interrupted when the bell rang for the end of the last class of the day. Some of the students headed down to the Great Hall for early dinner, others went to the library or common rooms to do homework. The rest mingled doing this and that in the halls and grounds. They watched as Dion entered.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Dion asked cheerfully.

"Nothing much. What about you?" Lily replied happily.

"Charms was okay. We did some notes and an introduction," Dion explained.

"Oh? What's coming?" asked Carrissa interestedly.

"You'll see," Dion said.

"Where are Caleb and Alex?" Alanna asked curiously.

"Yeah. Didn't they have charms with you?" Remus inquired.

"They decided to go meet James and Sirius. They should be up in a few minutes," Dion answered. Then, as if on cue, James, Sirius, Jackie, Caleb, and Alex all entered the common room.

"Well, it _is_ true," Lily said smiling.

"What is?" Caleb asked interestedly.

"That if you speak of the devil, it will come," Lily stated simply.

"Ah, and which one of us might you be referring to as the devil?" inquired Alex playfully.

"James, of course," Lily said obviously. James slid over to her.

"Yes, you'll find I can be_ very _devilish," James breathed in her ear. Lily just rolled her eyes and hit him.

"Ow! Hey, you're the one that said I was a devil!" James protested.

"I thought she would've picked me. After all, my name is Black," Sirius laughed.

"Nah, you're too much of a mama's boy, Padfoot," James teased. All of the girls looked at him curiously. The boys, however, looked at him warningly.

"Padfoot?" Carrissa asked inquisitively.

"Umm… It was a pet name his mother gave him when he was little," James covered with a nervous laugh. They looked suspicious, but let it slide. He let out a breath of relief.

"Who wants dinner?!" Alex asked, breaking the silence. They all agreed and headed down to the Great Hall, forgetting all about the 'Padfoot' incident.

"So how was class?" Dion inquired of Lily; everyone else was interested in their own conversations.

"Oh, it was… eventful," Lily confessed, honestly.

"Really? What did you do?" she queried further.

"Umm… well, we… uh… did the usual stuff," Lily stated.

"Then what was so eventful about it?" Dion asked incredulously.

Lily hesitated, then sighed and said coolly, "Jonathan Fennerly,"

"What do you mean?" Dion asked confused.

"I mean he tried to feel me up again," Lily stated coldly.

"He WHAT!" she exclaimed, shocked. The others turned to look at her in surprise, but she didn't seem to notice.

"What do you mean he tried to feel you up?! What's all this again business? Are you saying it's happened before?!" she ranted on, not giving Lily time to answer. James heard the first sentence, and balled his fists, along with the twins and Jackie.

"Dion," Lily said calmly, trying to calm her friend, "Dion. Dion! DION!" At last, Dion quieted and turned to face her friend, waiting for an explanation.

"Dion, Jonathan tried to feel me up in Arithmancy-," but at this point she was cut off by James and Sirius.

"He WHAT!?" they exclaimed in outrage.

"Why does everyone think I can't take care of myself!?" Lily shouted, throwing her hands in the air, "I hexed him off of me myself, you know! No one even knew he was there until I blasted him!"

The others looked at the witnesses incredulously. Carrissa just nodded, while Remus and Alanna shuffled their feet guiltily. They turned back to Lily, who was standing there, as unyielding as ever. Alex approached her, and put his hands on her shoulders. She flinched, instinctively.

"Lily, no one here thinks you can't take care of yourself," he began slowly, looking her directly in the eyes. His eyes were not a normal color, she noticed, but a light, light green, almost yellow. It wasn't noticeable unless you got right up in his face, though. They just looked grassy.

He continued, "Everyone here just cares about what happens to you. We care about you," he said shaking her slightly. Lily knew they cared, but it wasn't evident until now, how much. She was touched. He let her go and returned to the others.

"Alex," Lily called softly. He turned.

"Thanks," she said genuinely. He nodded in recognition.

"WELL, as much as I hate to break up such a wonderful moment! I WANT FOOD!" Sirius shouted turning and bounding into the Great Hall in search of grub.

"For once, I have to say I agree with the bugger," Jackie said smirking.

Everyone turned and looked at her in awe, with jaws on the floor.

"What?" she asked, still smirking, "I'm hungry. Besides, that moment was_ way _too mushy for my tastes," she added striding into the Great Hall.

"Well folks, treasure that scene. You'll never see anything like it again," Carrissa said jokingly.

They all laughed and followed the two into the Great Hall, shaking their heads.

Line

"Hey, guys… I've been thinking," James started later that night, once they were in their designated dormitories.

"That's a scary thought," Alex interjected playfully. James sent a pillow flying at him.

"Scuff, I'm serious," James declared aggravated, "Lily's been acting weird, and I've been wondering why. You seemed to calm her down this afternoon, but I don't think she was riled up about what she tried to make us think she was,"

"Prongs, mate, you have been thinking too much. She's just a girl having moody girl issues," Sirius piped up, "Leave it alone and it will blow over. It's the first day! Relax!"

"I must say that, for once in his life, Sirius has spoken words of wisdom," Caleb said grinning, "I agree. Let it be. Don't get worked up so early in the school year,"

"Thank you, Red!" Sirius cried sitting up and looking over at him.

"What do you think, Mooney?" James asked Remus, who had remained silent during this whole affair.

He hesitated before responding slowly, "I think that Sirius is right," at this point they all looked at him shocked, but he ignored them and continued, "But maybe there is something underneath the surface, maybe worth investigating. Then again, there might be nothing at all. Wait a little while before you make any moves, just to be sure," They were all staring at him, transfixed.

"What?" he asked indignantly.

"You're as bad as the divination teacher, mate!" Sirius called his gaze unmoving. Then all of the sudden they burst out into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

They laughter was cut short by a spell flying in the window, and bouncing off of the furnace, and hitting Sirius' bed causing it to collapse. Luckily, he had fallen off in his gale of laughter.

"Whoa," Alex stated in shock.

"Where did that come from?" said James angrily.

"I think I have a sneaking suspicion," Sirius muttered furiously, observing the wreckage of his bed.

"And it happens to be related to me," he finished icily. They knew at once who he was talking about.

"Here Sirius," Remus offered, walking up to him. He pulled out his wand and said, "_Reparo,"_

"Yeah. Thanks, Mooney," he mumbled half-heartedly.

"That reminds me. Your cousin Bellatrix, along with her sister Narcissa- by the way, where are on earth do you people get your names?" he asked ludicrously.

"Just drop it. Where did your mother pick up Remus?" Sirius retorted, although he quite agreed, "Continue. What did my fool of a cousin do this time?"

"A number of things in Care of Magical Creatures Class. The thing that will make you happiest is that she almost made herself go deaf by taking off her ear-muffs and listening to a Jobberknoll call," Remus informed beaming. Sirius burst out laughing.

"HA! Served her right!" he yelled, "So what else did she do?"

"Not much interesting, just the usual; taunting. They were new this time," Remus said half-interested, "She told Lily about the Erklings in the forest, only the fool she was, she told Lily she might want to change her hair color because it attracts them. Everyone knows that's a lie though-"

"She told her WHAT?!" Sirius cried furiously, "That filthy Snake! I've half a mind to march down to the Slytherin Common Room right now and give her what's coming to her!"

"I'm with you, Padfoot!" James shouted.

"Guys, sit down," Caleb said calmly.

"It already happened and apparently it wasn't a big deal to Lily or else she would've told us. Besides, Remus and Dion took care of it, so drop it," Alex explained logically.

"And all this time I thought they were on our side," James said looking over at Sirius as he sat down.

"It's mutiny, mate. I'm telling you, they're all turning against us," Sirius replied.

"Oh, shut up you two," Remus said grinning, hitting them both in the head as he made his way back to his bed ignoring shouts of protest.

"When's next full moon?" Caleb asked Remus concernedly, when he had reached his bed at last. Remus went a little pale and consulted his calendar. He sighed as he turned to face the others, looking grave.

"Tomorrow," he whispered, so softly that if it weren't for the silence in the room, it would have been indiscernible.

"What?!" they cried simultaneously.

"I know," he said weakly, "I had no idea. I thought it wasn't until next week,"

"You haven't been feeling odd lately, have you Remus?" asked Caleb, clearly distressed.

"No," he answered truthfully, "But that doesn't mean anything. The symptoms don't always happen,"

"Well, I suppose we'll be going out tomorrow, boys," Sirius grimly.

"Try not to think about it, Remus," James comforted, "It'll all be fine. It always is,"

"Yeah! Nothing bad has ever happened," Alex said consolingly.

Remus still looked unsure as they all settled into bed and fell into dream-filled sleeps.

* * *

**_What did you think? It was a bit dull near the beginning, I think, but it's what you think that caounts! So press that purple button down there! All kinds of reviews are valued. Flames, constucive critism, neutral, great ,Whatever! As long as its a review! So I'm about half- done with chapter four, and writing as you read, so it shouldn't be long before it gets up too! _**


	5. Chapter 4: Arguments

_**Thank you everyone who submited nick-name suggestions for Caleb and Alex. Seeing as I thought Scuff and Red were pathetic and I assume you all agreed. I have not decided yet, since I only have four people with ideas, but I have been thinking of some myself... I suppose it would've helped if I had told you that their animagus forms are a fox and a coyote huh? sry guys. I think that was the thing that was tugging at the back of my brain. I've come up with things like Brushtail(since there is no Wormtail) for the fox(Alex)and...uh... thats about it. If you think Red is better than just let me know.**_

_**Also. I promised 'Super Cara' I would mention them in this chapter because they pointed something very important out to me. I said Bellatrix Lastrange in Chapter 1, when her name doesn't change until she gets married. I am just used to hearing Bellatrix Lestrange instead of Bellatrix Black. I very much like for my story to be accurate, so if my readers would please help me and catch those little slip ups that my editor and I miss. So thank you very much 'Super Cara'! Kudos to you!**_

* * *

**_Chapter Four_**

_**Arguments **_

_I was standing on a gorgeous white- sandy beach during sunset, kissing the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. He was every woman's dream; Tall, dark, and handsome. He looked vaguely familiar. If only I could just remember his name… It was on the tip of my tongue. It was… it was… Now I remembered! It was-_

"WAKE UP!"

'Oh! Why does Alanna have to be such an early bird?' Lily thought drowsily.

"Come on people! Breakfa-!" she shouted, but was cut off by the spare pillow sent flying at her by Jackie.

Alanna, however, was determined. She began running around the room, shouting, and shaking the others in their beds.

"Alanna, go away!" Dion cried sleepily, "I went to breakfast with you yesterday,"

"Everyone is going today!" she exclaimed happily, bounding over to Jackie.

Jackie had her head under her other pillow, and was holding her finger up to Alanna threateningly.

"You touch me, and I swear I will put you in the Hospital Wing for a week, and you won't have to worry about being late for breakfast," she stated coolly from under the pillow.

Alanna backed away slowly, chuckling nervously, and proceeded to Carrissa and Lily.

"Alanna, why can't you go to breakfast by yourself?" Carrissa cried desperately.

"I get lonely. There are only people like Snape and those Ravenclaws down there this early," she reasoned.

"And you wonder why," Lily stated dryly.

"Come on. Please! Someone has to come with me!" Alanna said. She sounded ready to cry.

"Someone go with her! Please! Just to shut her up! I beg you!" Jackie cried from her bed.

"Fine! I'll go," Lily said, defeated.

"Lily, you truly are a noble person. Sacrificing yourself like this," Carrissa said playfully from under her sheets.

"Yeah, yeah. The only thing I'm sacrificing is my beauty rest," she stated humorously.

"Thank you, Lily," Alanna said, "I really mean that,"

"Yeah, just let me get ready and then we'll go down," Lily said good-naturedly.

They entered the Great Hall thirty minutes later. It was full mostly the same people as previously. They sat down near the entrance, and Lily glanced over at Snape, who she was sure was watching them when they had entered.

"Lily, why are you looking at Snape?" Alanna asked curiously.

"Oh! Um… no reason," Lily stated falsely.

"Hmm…whatever," she said indifferently, and returned to her toast.

"Hey look! Here come Remus and Caleb," Lily said brightly.

"Really?" she asked incredulously, looking up, "Well what do you know?"

"Hello ladies," Remus said cheerfully, sitting down opposite them.

"Mornin'" Caleb stated dully.

"Caleb, you look awful. Did you sleep alright?" Alanna asked concernedly.

"Oh, he's fine," Remus assured.

"Yeah, unless you count being dragged out of bed by a little prat this morning, I'm fine and dandy!" he said derisively.

"Someone's cranky. Remus dragged you out of bed, huh? Don't worry. Alanna did the same to me," Lily started.

"I did not!" Alanna cried indignantly, "You got yourself out of bed! I just woke you all up,"

"Yes, anyway. Where's Alex? Remus you know Caleb and Alex are no good apart. That's why they rarely are. They get all moody and mean. It's awful," she informed pretending to be serious.

"Oh… oh well. Alex will be down shortly," he said slightly nervously.

"Unless he's being moody, and doesn't want to, of course," she stated calmly, picking at some scrambled eggs.

"Oh yeah. Hadn't thought of that. I'll be right back ladies," he stated standing up and darting out of the hall.

"You know, for being the smartest of the Marauders, he really is quite an idiot sometimes," Alanna stated staring after him.

"Yes, well being the smartest of the Marauders isn't that hard to do now is it?" Lily said humorously, staring after him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, where's Caleb?" she inquired alarmed, looking up and down the Great Hall.

Lily calmly ducked under the table and called up to Alanna, "I found him,"

"Lily, where are you?" she called back.

"Under the table," she answered, pushing her brother out from under the table. She peeked over the table and saw Alanna ducking under and sighed, "Alanna, I'm up here now,"

Alanna straightened back up and saw Lily. She just stood there watching Lily struggle to pull her brother onto a bench.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked half-curious half-nevervous.

"Umm… he's tired?" Lily stated obviously, "So are you going to come help me or not?!"

"Oh yeah… sure!" she said rushing over to her and grabbing Caleb's other arm. They didn't notice the other few members of the hall watching them curiously. They finally managed to get Caleb onto the bench with his head flopped on the table, so that he wouldn't slide under again.

"Wow. Does he ever wake up?" Alanna asked, staring at Caleb incredulously.

"Depends on how tired he is," Lily stated plainly.

"How do you know so much about them?" she inquired, now looking at Lily.

"I spend a lot of time with them," she replied, "Why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno," she stated, "Because they're Marauders, I guess,"

"That doesn't change anything," Lily said indignantly.

"What do you mean? You don't like James or Sirius," Alanna said, thoroughly confused.

"They're idiots!" she retorted, "Besides, I don't mind Remus,"

"These two aren't so different from James and Sirius!" she snapped, "And you don't always like Remus!"

"Remus can get full of himself, yes, but on the whole he's rather nice" Lily said.

"What about Caleb and Alex? You haven't said anything about that yet," Alanna replied, fury in her eyes.

These two friends gad not argued like this in a long while. They had their disagreements, but this was a row. The hall was watching nervously, except Snape who was looking upon it with interest. Remus had arrived once more with the rest of the Marauders sleepily in tow, but they had had a wake up call.

Their arrival was shortly followed by the girls who were watching with horror on their faces, apart from Jackie who was merely stunned. Caleb had heard the ruckus and had woken up to find his sister and her friend rowing. To find his sister, a fiery redhead, rowing with anyone was scary enough. So he did something smart and ducked under the table for cover.

"I know they're idiots!" Lily shouted, "I've told them that on many an occasion!"

"Then why do still prefer them so much to James and Sirius?!" Alanna cried angrily.

"What do you mean why do I prefer them?" she asked furiously, "Do you think I _like_ them?"

"Well… It certainly seems… from the way you…,"she stuttered tensely.

"Alanna," Lily said calmly, "Why would you think that I would _like_ them?"

"Well you spend so much time with them. They're always comforting you, and coming to your rescue… you know," Alanna stated uncomfortably.

"Alanna, they're my brothers!" Lily cried relived.

The entire hall let out a gasp except for Lily, Caleb and Alex. Alex walked out from the crowd around the door so that he was clearly visible before shouting, "Did nobody here know that?! It was so, completely obvious!" The entire hall was silent, staring at him.

Then Sirius exclaimed happily, "Nope!" Remus put his face in his hands, while James steadied himself on his shoulder. They made their way down to where Lily, Alanna, and Caleb were, and took their seats.

"AM I GOING TO HAVE TO SAY THIS EVERYDAY, PEOPLE? WE ARE NOT AN INTERESTING TELEVISION PROGRAM! RETURN TO YOUR MEALS!" Jackie shouted to the hall, who quickly turned and began scratching away at their plates again.

"Thank you, Jack," Sirius said cheekily from the seat across the table and on her right. He thought he was safe there, but he was wrong. She reached out her leg diagonally, and kicked his shin, leaving a kiwi sized bruise. He howled and grasped his leg, whimpering.

"Don't be such a wimp, Black," Carrissa teased, "Take it like a man,"

"Maybe you would like it in exchange?" he growled. She shrugged.

"How do you know about televisions?" Remus asked interestedly. Lily turned away from the conversation at this point, and addressed her brother.

"Hey, I thought of something last night, Alex," Lily said curiously.

"What was that?" he asked tentatively eyeing her.

"You said you got the wits scared out of you by that Jobberknoll," she began, "Why? You had plenty of warning, and ear-muffs. It wasn't that bad,"

"Not us," Caleb said forcefully, "The damn thing died early! He was throwing us ear-muffs, and he never got 'round to explaining what was gonna happen before it did,"

"Nope," Alex said crossly, "He was telling us what the bloody beast was when it burst into ear-splitting shrieks. It was awful,"

"Oh, are you telling her about that bloody bird?" Jackie asked, cutting in, "Yeah, I wanted to strangle that thing so badly,"

Lily just shook her head, "It's a good thing you didn't. Otherwise you might've been expelled,"

"I wouldn't have cared, Lily," Jackie said easily.

"Well at least we don't have to deal with any damn pigeons today. We have Potions, Herbology and Free Period!" Caleb exclaimed.

"You're kidding!" cried Alex, "That's totally Awesome!"

"You mean you don't know your own schedule?" asked Carrissa incredulously.

"Well, yeah," he said obviously, "Caleb keeps the schedule since we have the same classes. I just follow him!" Carrissa and Alanna rolled their eyes. He ignored them and picked up a pitcher and poured himself a goblet.

"Hmm… I have Potions, Charms and Ancient Runes," Lily said pulling out her schedule.

"I think you have Charms with James and Sirius then," said Carrissa pulling out her own timetable.

"Oh boy," she stated glancing over at James and Sirius who were rolling in their seats at something James had said.

"Don't worry, Lily," Remus said, watching his friends, annoyed, "James can be a sincere, polite guy……,"

Lily scoffed, "When imps fly and Sirius isn't around!"

"In other words… never," Alanna informed, as though it needed explaining.

"Well, I agree that he and Sirius together is not always a good thing, but he does have a kind and understanding side, Lily," he reasoned.

"I think you've gone bonkers," she replied disbelievingly. Remus merely shrugged hopelessly.

"I'll see you guys later. I need to fetch my Potions book. It's still in my dormitory," Lily said standing up to leave.

"Hey! Where are you going!?" Sirius called after her. She ignored him, and made her way out of the hall and up the marble staircase. She got her book and made her way down to the dungeons. She was still a little bit early. She took a seat in the second row, pulled out her book, and waited on the others to enter the class.

She was looking at various potions in her textbook, and didn't notice a figure slide noiselessly into the seat next to her. Only when he put his book on the desk with a_ thud _did she give a start, and turn to see the greasy, dark-haired teen, Severus Snape. She looked him over with scrutiny.

"Hello Lily," he said attempting to make a friendly gesture. Note the word- '_attempting_'.

"Hello, Severus," she said, reluctantly, but returning the gesture. Just then, the door burst open and in came flying Alex and Caleb, laughing their sides off. The rest of the class seemed to be following, smiling, excluding a Slytherin here or there.

"Boys!" she shouted at them, trying to get their attention.

"Oh…Hey, Lils'!" called Alex between cackles.

"Would you two shut up and sit down. You bumbling maroons," she said clearly annoyed.

"Hey! …We are not …Bees!… We do not …bumble!" Caleb exclaimed, also between chortles causing more people to burst into laughter.

"I think …she's color blind…She thinks we're MAROON!" Alex hooted, keeling over in laughter. Lily observed the twins as they staggered over to a desk, laughing still harder.

"Are you two drunk?!" she demanded in disbelief. They turned to look at her, giggling madly.

"You know, sis?" Alex began, cackling.

"I think… we are!" Caleb finished, then burst back out in gales of laughter. He rolled off of his stool and hit the cold hard earth on the side of the desk, away from Lily. This just caused Alex to laugh harder, and he slid gracefully off of his stool and began rolling in the floor hooting.

"You better go check on your brother," Severus said, sounding apathetic. Lily leapt up and jogged over to Caleb. He had hit his head hard. He was knocked out and bleeding severely from a spot just above his ear.

"Bloody Hell," Lily whispered to herself, "Ennervate," Caleb's eyes flickered, but did not open. Lily groaned, and stood up, looking over at Snape.

"Would you give me a hand?" she called irritably over the giggling students. Snape grudgingly stood up and walked over to where Lily was crouching.

"I need you to levitate him to the Hospital Wing for me, please," she stated standing up and turning to him, "I have to tell Professor Slughorn, and then I'll be right there," Snape made no movement to show that he had heard.

He pulled out his wand, pointed it at Caleb, and immediately, he began to float on the air. Snape then began striding out of the classroom, Caleb in tow, not looking back at Lily. Lily stared after them, and then walked over to Alex, standing him upright.

Professor Slughorn came bustling into the room holding an assortment of vials, humming. Upon seeing the chaos his room was in he dropped the vials in shock, and they shattered, their contents spilling across the stone floor.

"Professor!" Lily cried, "Professor, I need to go to the Hospital Wing,"

"My dear girl, whatever for?" he cried looking Lily over concernedly.

"Caleb injured himself, and I need to bring Alex along and get something from Madame Prose for him," she explained vaguely, and hurriedly, "Severus has already taken Caleb, you see,"

"Alright, Lily," Professor Slughorn said kindly, "Don't worry about all of your things. I'll have them sent to you all,"

"Thank you," she said as she walked over to Alex, "Come on, Alex,"

She draped his arm around her neck, and began pulling him along. It wasn't as hard, since he was conscious, but he kept bending over in silent laughter.

"I swear," Lily muttered to him, although he wasn't listening, "I leave you for ten minutes, and you get intoxicated! It'll be James and Sirius' idea of a good laugh, won't it? But then, I didn't think that they pranked each other…"

She reached the Hospital Wing a few minutes later where Snape had already delivered Caleb and was now sitting silently in a chair across the room from his bed. Madame Prose looked rather annoyed. She had healed the wound on Caleb's head, but he had not woken up, and it appeared that Snape had refused to say a word since he had arrived.

"Madame Prose?" Lily said tentatively.

"What now?" she said annoyed, looking at the boy's twin with his arm around her neck.

"Umm…,"Lily said unsure, and then she took the silencing charm off of the boy and immediately screams of laughter echoed around the room.

"I see," Madame Prose said as Lily allowed Alex to slide to the floor, "Has he been under the influence of any spell or charm? Or even Billywig?"

"No. Madame Prose, I think… I think he's drunk," Lily said nervously.

"Drunk?" she repeated incredulously.

"Yes. I don't know how they could've gotten drunk though. I only left them for about ten minutes, and when I left them they were fine!" she explained baffled.

"Yes, well if they are, this ought to clear them up… or him at least," Madame Prose said, holding up a bottle and motioning toward Alex. She uncorked the vial and poured some of its contents into Alex's open mouth.

He began to cough and splutter. It almost looked like he was about to choke. He then silenced, and straightened up looking around.

"What is the last thing you remember, Mr. Evans?" Madame Prose stated firmly.

"Um… bits and pieces… I remember going to breakfast, and everyone found out Lily was Caleb and me's sister," he began rubbing the back of his head, "Then we were talking about classes… I found this really weird drink! I thought it was tea, but it tasted funny! I told Caleb to have some… We drank the whole pitcher! …that's about it…," he concluded looking down at them.

"You know… you caused me a lot of trouble in Potions this morning?" Lily began walking up to him menacingly, poking him in the chest, "And class hadn't even started yet!"

"Hey!" he cried indignantly rubbing his chest gingerly.

"You might want to go check on your brother over there," she said pointing to Caleb. Alex looked confused, but walked over to Caleb who merely looked like he was sleeping.

"Hey Caleb, get up. Wake up. Come on, they have chocolate for breakfast!" Alex said, surely that would get him up, "Hmm… There are hot girls in the dormitory!"

He looked astonished as he turned to look at Lily, "He always gets up for that one," Snape scoffed. Alex looked around at him; he had just noticed he was there, "I supposed you have a better way then!?"

Severus simply looked amused, "Yes, as a matter of fact I do," Alex looked temporarily taken-aback, but quickly recovered. Snape stood up, swept over to Madame Prose and took the half-empty bottle from her hand. He then moved over the unconscious twin, poured the potion in his mouth, and began muttering incantations over him.

Caleb's eyes flickered, and then opened. Then there was a yell of terror emanating from him as he looked up into the face of his reviver.

"AGH! Bloody Hell!" he shouted, before being tackled by Alex trying to shut him up. It worked, thank Merlin. The twins stood up and turned to the others.

"Yeah, uh… Sorry about that," Caleb said guiltily. Lily was tapping her foot; Severus was crossing his arms and looking out the window. Madame Prose was going around tapping everybody's ears to makes sure there hadn't been any damage done to them, scowling when she reached Caleb.

Lily gladly took her bag from the Hufflepuff that had delivered her things, and walked out of the Hospital Wing to enjoy an unscheduled free period. She figured the class must be at least half over by now so she headed over to the library, which, funnily enough, was located near the Charms classroom.

She walked in and settled herself down with an old, thick book, whose cover was falling off. She was halfway into the first chapter when she was interrupted by an unpleasantly familiar voice.

"Hello Lily," greeted James as he plopped into the seat next to her.

She sighed agitatedly, "What do you want, Potter?"

"Many things, but right now I wish to know why my fair maiden dost not see fit to attend her lesson," James said in his mock Shakespearean tone again.

"Potter, not right now. We're in a library, for Merlin's sake," she said irritably, looking around for Madame Pince.

"What better place to bring out the Shakespeare in you?" James asked playfully, not bothering to keep his voice down.

Lily groaned, "If it will shut you up, I was excused from potions today. Unlike you, I'm not skipping class,"

"I knew Sluggy liked you- but letting you skip potions?" he inquired incredulously.

Lily got up, placed the book back on its shelf, and then marched out of the library, expecting James to follow, which he did.

"Caleb and Alex staggered into class today drunker than ten Indians after a wedding party, and Caleb slid off of his stool and just about cracked his head open! So I had to have Severus levi-," she began explaining but was cut off abruptly.

"SNAPE!" James shouted furiously.

"Yes, Potter. Severus Snape. He did me a huge favor since no one else in the room would," Lily said bitterly.

"Well why didn't you come get one of us?" he asked calming down.

"I didn't need to! I had help. Severus levitated Caleb to the Hospital Wing while I stayed behind and told Professor Slughorn, and then came along with Alex," she continued ignoring the look on James' face, "Madame Prose gave Alex something that cured him, but she couldn't figure out what to do for Caleb, except wait. Alex went over and tried waking him, and when it didn't work he asked Snape if he had any better ideas and Severus said 'yes, he did'. He took the potion that cured Alex, poured some in Caleb, them muttered some incantations and he woke up. After that I took my stuff and left," she had explained the whole story to him, leaving out the part about the screaming, and now James looked curious.

"What?" she asked not unkindly.

"I was just wondering how they had gotten drunk in the first place," James said staring into space.

"Some drink on the table was spiked and they drank it all," Lily informed what Alex had told her.

"Well… that would explain it. I thought maybe they had…," he trailed off when he noticed it was Lily he was talking to. She crossed her arms, but said nothing.

"So, fifteen minutes of nothing to do. What do you want to do?" he asked grinning at her.

She scoffed, "Nice try, but I'm not in your fan club. Your smiles don't work on me,"

"I have a fan club?" he inquired interestedly.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, "What I want to do, is go back in the library, and finish my book…_alone_," she added to the unchanging smile on James' face.

"Well good luck with that _alone _stuff, love," he said striding past her towards the library.

"James Potter, I am not doing anything with an ignorant imbecile like you," she stated trying to keep her cool.

"Ignorant imbecile, am I? I'm better at Transfiguration than you, I bet," he stated confidently walking back over to where she stood.

"Oh really?" Lily said unbelievingly.

"Yeah. Watch this," he said, and at with a wave of his wand, her book bag and all of its contents had turned into a bunch of little kittens, playing on the hallway floor. Lily couldn't believe her eyes. It wasn't unusual for one thing to turn into another, but for one thing to turn into many things? It was unbelievable!

Then with another lazy flick of his wand, the kittens were gone, and Lily's book bag was back on her shoulder. Lily looked around at James, speechless.

"Simple spell," James stated lazily.

"You…How…But…," she couldn't seem to string two words together, so she just shut her mouth.

"Don't worry about it. You beat me in potions. We're square," he said cheerfully. This did not seem to cheer Lily up though.

"Since when are you good in Transfiguration!?" she demanded.

"Umm… third year?" he said as though it was rather obvious.

"You have not! I remember you asking me for help in third year!" she pointed out, "You said you were failing and needed a tutor. I refused!"

"I was-," he started, but he was saved as the bell rang for them to attend their next class. He bounded down the hall towards Charms, not that it was that far away. He was just hoping that Lily would drop it by the time she reached the door, which James was holding open for her.

"Um… Prongs?" said Sirius curiously coming up the hall, "You do know that door stands open on its own, right?"

"Yes, Padfoot, I _do_ know," James said sharply, "But Lily doesn't," Sirius nodded as though in comprehension, but he was pretty sure that Lily _did_ know. Sirius proceeded through the entrance, taking his seat near the back, as usual. James stood at the door, waiting on Lily.

'What could be taking her so long?!' he thought getting a bit impatient, but just as he thought it Lily came gliding down the corridor towards him- or towards the door. He made a little bow as she approached.

"Nice try, Potter, but that door holds itself open," she said indifferently, walking right past him. He could distinctly hear Sirius' bark-like laugh behind him. James was determined, and instead of letting it sting him, he walked right after Lily and took the seat beside her.

"Potter, are you determined to make the rest of my day miserable?" Lily whined.

"Well, I would've pushed your chair in for you, but you had already sat down," he justified jokingly, "But don't I think that one missed good deed qualifies as making your day miserable," She glared daggers at him.

"James! What _are _you doing?" Sirius demanded, "What happened to your seat in the back of the class? With ME!"

"Sirius I-," James began.

"Aw, I didn't know you two had a _thing_ going!" Lily exclaimed delighted, "Potter you might want to join Black, or else he'll think your cheating on him,"

"Lily!" Sirius shouted shocked, but proud.

"Sirius take you seat. I'm sitting with Miss Evans today," James said simply.

"No your not," Lily stated firmly.

"Yes I am," he said calmly.

"_No your not," _she said pulling out her wand.

"_Yes I am," _he said repeating the gesture.

"_NO. YOU. AR-," _she was cut off.

"GUYS!" Sirius shouted. They looked at him blankly.

"Look, you two are stubborn old mules that are never going to move. Therefore this time James wins. I'm sorry Lily. Please don't hex me into oblivion! It's just the facts.

"Either you two continue this and start a duel, which I am sure Lily would enjoy immensely, but you would get expelled, love! And I can't go through school without my best mate, and he can't go through school without chasing after the annoyingly lovable redhead.

"Therefore he would be much less enjoyable. Nice to know you are an asset, not just an ass, huh Lily?" he finished winking. Lily was biting back jinxes to throw at him. James however looked content.

"Class! Settle down, please!" called tiny Professor Flitwick from atop his stack of books, "Mr. Black! Take a seat, please! Now class, today we will taking some notes, when you are done, please put your quills down so that I know you are finished," he said and instantly, notes appeared on the board, and parchment appeared on their desks.

Lily immediately took to copying the notes, while James took his time getting his quill, and getting comfy in his chair, and anything else he could stall on. Lily noticed this and rolled her eyes. He noted this, and took it as a sign to begin writing.

Amazingly, he finished rather quickly, only a few seconds after Lily. He summoned another piece of parchment and began writing. He then slid the parchment over to Lily.

_Hello mule._

Lily stared at the piece of parchment, not knowing whether to laugh or roll it up and hit James with it. She decided to do neither since both would cause a scene. She compromised by picking up her quill and responding.

'_That's hardly the way to win your lady, Potter.'_

'_Are you saying that you want to be won?'_

'_No. I'm just saying that your attempts are becoming feebler.'_

'_Perhaps they aren't becoming feebler, but you are just seeing them differently. Maybe you are developing feelings for me after all these years. I knew you'd come around.'_

'_You wish, Potter.'_

'_Then maybe it's just a change of strategy on my part.'_

'_Then why would you be telling me about it?'_

'_Why not? Besides, I haven't told you anything about the new strategy.'_

'_Hmm… point taken. So what is you new strategy?'_

'_It is subtle, but I think you'll begin to see it more and more soon.'_

'_Oh boy.'_

'_Sarcasm? Lily I am so proud!'_

'_I'm not going to go out with you.'_

'_When did I ask?'_

'_Let's see…'_

'_In the past twenty-four hours?'_

'_Did Remus have to plan your new strategy for you?'_

'_No! Haven't I just proven I'm better than you at something?'_

'_No. I didn't defend myself. I'm not saying I'm better I'm just saying that there is still no defense on my part.'_

'_That is something only _you _would say.'_

'_Am I anyone else?'_

'_No.'_

'_Then why is it a surprise?'_

'_I never said it was. It is only irritating.'_

'_Then why are you still after me?'_

James stared at the parchment, transfixed. Why _was _he still after her? He didn't have time to think about it though, because just then Professor Flitwick had gotten up on top of his stack of books to speak.

"Alright class. This term and next we shall be heading into some more complicated charms; Such as the Fidelius Charm and weather charms. These charms are very complex and difficult. Do not expect to achieve the proper results on the first try. Today, however, we will be doing some review to make sure we are all up to date. Please turn to the person sitting next to you, as they will be your partner, and begin reviewing your charms on each other,"

There was a great clatter and scratching of chair-legs on the floor and people stood up to face their partners.

"So what charm shall we do first?" James inquired of Lily as he straitened up.

"Well, how about summoning charms?" Lily suggested.

"Alright, _Accio!_" he cried waving his wand, and instantly Lily was flying across the distance into his arms. She was momentarily stunned, not knowing really anything. She was quite content being oblivious for a few moments, and feeling secure in James' strong arms. However, all good things must come to an end. She looked around, and then up into smiling James face, and suddenly it all came back to her.

"JAMES POTTER!" she shouted at the top of her voice.

"I always thought I would love to hear you screaming my name one day, but now I find it rather painful," he said calmly.

"Let Me Go At Once!" she ordered.

"You are a very indecisive woman. You told me to use the summoning charm, and now you tell me to let go," he said cheekily, as he released her.

"James Potter, you know full well that I meant you to use it on an inanimate object!" she snapped.

"Well, it's a mistake anyone can make. At least I'm not trying to make you listen to Shakespearean theme all through class," he reasoned, "It's _all_ Sirius and I do,"

"Potter, lets just do this right from now on, please?" she pleaded.

"Oh alright. If it bothers you so, I'll stop," he relented.

"_Thank you_," she said desperately, walking back to her position.

They got through about three or four charms before the bell rang for them to be dismissed. Lily scooped up her things and dashed out of the room, running to the marble staircase. Ancient runes was on the end of the Seventh Floor so she had to dodge first years and duck under hulking boys who might've been in fifth year. She ran as fast as she could to beat the bell and just barely made it on time to Professor Normack's class.

She took a seat beside a Hufflepuff girl, and then turned her attention to the front of the classroom.

"Class, please take out your books and turn to page 7. '_The Simple Guide from 1 to 9 of Ancient Runes _(A/N- this is the name of the section, not the book)_ ', _Professor Normack said hey

firmly, "This is your Runic table; A table that you can quickly look at and decipher the name of your Rune. Since, in the past few years, we have learned about the origin of each of the types of Runes, we will now be looking at actual Runes and attempting to decipher their names and their meanings,"

He walked over to his desk, picked up a basket full of odd shaped stones, and began walking up and down the aisles passing out two or three per person. Lily picked up her Rune and examined it.

°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸

Lily walked out of class later feeling oddly confused and disheveled. She did not like that feeling, but that Ancient Runes class had given her a run for her money. It wasn't that it was exceptionally hard… just complicated.

She walked slowly down the marble staircase thinking that how glad she was that September1 hadn't been on a Sunday, but a Tuesday. Now she only had to go through one more day of this. She walked into the Gryffindor Common Room which was just down the hall, and waited for the others to follow suit. She plopped down on the couch and thought that she had never had a more eventful first two days of school in her entire time at Hogwarts.

She watched as Remus walked in Jackie and Sirius. Jackie did not look the least bit happy with her company; Sirius, on the other hand, looked delighted. Remus looked anxious, pale, and rugged. Lily thought she knew why, but she hadn't checked the calendar in a while.

"Hello Lily," Sirius said gleefully, taking the seat beside her. Remus followed, taking a seat on her other side.

"Hi Sirius," she replied, exhausted.

"What do the stones say our futures are today?"

"Sirius, Runes don't tell the future or fortunes. That would be numerology, or that crackpot stuff in Divination," she explained patiently.

"Ah, yes. I forgot the difference," he said lazily. Jackie rolled her eyes and murmured 'Idiot'.

"Well, it's not like you knew any better!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"Maybe I did," she stated simply, taking the now vacant seat.

"You didn't and you know it, Smith! So don't start contradicting me!" he said as if that was the end of it, sitting down in the empty chair. Lily and Remus were watching as though it were some sort of tennis match. Remus was too weak to do anything about it, and Lily was just about to hit the point where she couldn't take anymore.

"I'll contradict you if I want to, Black! You can't stop me!" she shout, now rising from her seat.

"Shall we take bets on that?" he asked mockingly.

"Guys," Lily said feebly. They ignored her.

"Maybe we should!" Jackie spat.

"Guys!" she said again, stronger this time. They continued without showing any sign that they had heard her.

"Alright! How about-," he began, but was cut off suddenly by Lily, "GUYS!"

They turned to look at her with irritated looks on their faces.

"Enough Already!" she said as irritated as they looked, "It doesn't matter, okay? Just drop it,"

Jackie and Sirius glared at each other, but said nothing. Sirius turned and looked at Remus.

"Hey, mate, are you okay?" he asked, much softer and more concernedly. Remus was pale as ivory, and getting paler. He was clenching himself, and his breathing was raspy.

"He looks sick," Jackie said, with actual concern in her voice, "Maybe he should go to the Hospital Wing," They all looked at her.

Sirius nodded, "Yeah, the Hospital Wing. Lily when James and the twins get back could you tell them that I've taken Remus to the Hospital Wing?" Sirius pulled Remus' arm around his shoulders and began dragging him along out through the Portrait Hole.

Jackie turned to Lily, "What was that all about?"

"Remus is sick, and Sirius wants the others to know?" Lily replied, acting as though she was guessing when she knew part of what it was about.

"I guess," she relented, sinking in her chair. She immediately straightened up as the Portrait Hole blasted open and in came flying James and the twins with Dion, Alanna, and Carrissa right behind them. They were laughing and yelling and making a fine ruckus, until Lily decided enough was enough.

"_Silencio!" _she shouted at them, and they all fell silent. They opened and closed their mouths a few times and when nothing came out, they turned and looked at Lily indignantly. Jackie was rolling in the floor laughing at them, and at this point Lily seriously considered putting the charm on her, too.

"Remus is sick and Sirius has taken him to the Hospital Wing. He asked me to tell you three that before he left," she said, motioning at boys. They had wide-eyed looks of fear on their faces. The girls merely looked confused. She quickly took the silencing charms off of them. They thanked her, and dashed back out of the Common Room without another word, running at top speed.

"What was all that about?" Dion asked pointing her thumb at where the boys had just disappeared.

"Remus is sick and Sirius wanted the others to know, I suppose," Lily guessed repeating what she had said to Jackie just minutes before.

"Oh, well do you think we should go check on him?" Alanna asked tentatively.

"No, I don't think so. He'll be fine, but I don't think we should be there right now. We can check up on him tomorrow," Lily insisted.

"Alright, then who wants dinner?" Carrissa suggested. They all leapt up and headed down to dinner.

Lily kept out of their conversations on the marble staircase, taking the time to think. She knew Remus was a werewolf. She had been the first to figure it out; in second year. His friends didn't know until third year. She had been his person that he could lean on about that topic, and he had confessed that he thought his friends were getting suspicious.

Since they had found out, though, Lily had become less and less of his pillar of strength, not that she minded. In fact she was happy for him. She just couldn't figure out why his friends were all chasing after him now when they knew he was in such a dangerous state! They couldn't help him; they would get hurt! It didn't make sense.

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James, Alex, and Caleb sprinted across the school grounds towards the Whomping Willow.

The sun was going down, but it wasn't nearly nighttime yet! There were still a few sparse people on the grounds, but most had already joined the others in the Great Hall for dinner.

As they neared the tree, James thought of something. It was a tedious job to lift that stick and place it just right over that knot which was impossible to find.

"Alex, transform!" he shouted to him. Alex seemed to understand because the next second there was no more Alex running between the two boys. There was just a fox speeding ahead of them towards the tree, clambering up it, and pressing its paws to the secret knot before leaping down into the burrow-looking hole at the base of the trunk.

James and Caleb followed the fox into the hole, and not two seconds after entering, James saw a streak of Coyote flying off down the narrow tunnel. Moments later he was after them, but he was no longer human, but a grand royal stag.

It was difficult to see in the tunnel, but he just kept going forward, listening for any signs that his friends might be in danger. Finally, after minutes of running, he saw a light. As he approached, he was sure he saw a small figure dart up out of tunnel, followed by a larger figure moments later. Soon after he was clambering up a dirt incline, and through a break in the floor of a large empty house.

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**_So how was it people? Tell me in a review, and please try to come up with some Marauder names for the twins! I'll be thinking of some as well so hopefully I can get this done soon. This probably isn't a big deal to ya'll I know, but I'm a perfectionist! HAHAHA! so you must suffer until it is solved. Remember- if I choose your name to use then you get the next chapter dedicated to you! And it's almost done too... but then again you_ Better _get at _least _a chapter. I mean, I would be using your material... loljk See you next chapter -keep submitting names!_**


	6. Chapter 5: A Very Eventful Day

_**Hey Guys! I am so sorry about the long wait! Hope you can forgive me because I really don't want to wake up one night to an angry mob on my doorstep.I know I promised theis chapter really soon, but you know how it goes. I had it almost done when I submitted the author's notes, but school was starting and I had to get supplies, and there was a LOT of last second changes I was doing to it, along with writers block for the very last few paragraphs! It was chaotic so I just put it down for a while to give myself a break and get refreshed so here I am!**_

**_Hope you like this chapter because we worked really hard on it and my freind Max edited it this time instead of Creepy. I also want to thank my freind Aya for helping me come up with the names Caleb and Alex when I was first starting my story, without you we would have two nerdy twins! Thank You! _**

**_This Chapter is dedicated to all of my fans and reveiwers for being so pateint and sticking with me through the wait, you're what keeps me going!_**

**_Now, without further ado, I present to you... Chapter 5!!!(finallycoughcough) _**

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**_Chapter Five_**

_**A Very Eventful Day**_

He got out cautiously, and looked around. All of his friends were standing next to the fireplace, no longer animals, watching something across the room with pity. James turned his head and looked where his friends were staring. Remus was sitting in an old, rickety chair, holding his head, and moaning. He was no longer wearing robes or a tie, really just a shirt that was hanging loosely on him, and unbuttoned at the top. His shoes and socks had also been discarded.

James slowly clambered out of the tunnel, and walked around to where the others were standing, and then morphed back into a human.

"How long has he been like this, Padfoot?" James asked tentatively.

"Little after class got out," he replied somberly.

"Wonder why he's changing before nightfall," Caleb wondered aloud.

"Don't you think it's odd that we all thought that the full moon wasn't until next week?" Alex interjected.

"Maybe," James answered, still watching Remus with concern and wariness.

"Wonder if this'll change anything," Sirius mused, "Maybe it will end early… or he will have more control over his mind… or something,"

Remus cut in, "I doubt it. You all had better hurry up. I can feel it coming on, throbbing at the back of my head… I'm sorry guys," he apologized in advance. He looked up at their worried faces, but they all smiled at him. That would be the last time they would really see each other again that night. Suddenly, his pupils dilated, his eyes changed color, and he looked backed down fearfully.

Remus doubled over, clutching his head, moaning and breathing heavily. He began to grow and pushed at the seams of his clothes, finally splitting them completely. Remus looked up from his hands. He now had a long snout and fierce teeth. He lifted his head to the sky, or what would be if there weren't a roof in the way, and howled a long, deep, mournful howl.

"Come on guys!" James shouted before morphing back into a stag. He saw Alex morph into a fox, and jump from the banister to the rafters. Then he, Caleb and Sirius all began to circle Mooney threateningly, hackles raised and antlers down.

The werewolf watched them all, waiting on one to make a move. When no one did, he lunged for the large black dog, who easily dodged him, jumping on top of a desk, and around the werewolf. The lynx came up behind him and latched onto his back, and bit his neck gently, not enough to draw blood.

Remus reared in pain and alarm, causing the lynx to fall back onto the floor with a loud crash, momentarily stunning him. The werewolf spun around to face his attacker, but Caleb leaped up, and dashed between his legs, having seen a stag coming on at him, running at full speed.

The stag whipped by Remus, distracting it from the creature that had just disappeared under it. The werewolf made a grab for the stag and managed to fasten itself onto its shoulders with his claws.

The stag, who was a bit of a distance from him still, reared in pain, causing Mooney to lose grip, and claw all down James' back, looking for another place to grip. He found grip on his hips, and used that to pull himself forward in an attempt to get at the stag's neck.

He was in mid-leap when a fox landed on his back, clawing and nipping. It was more of a pest than an opponent, not that it couldn't be an opponent if it wanted to. The werewolf released the stag, and turned his attention to the fox now climbing up and down his back.

He reached his overlarge paws around his sides and shoulders, trying to grab Alex, but missing, just scratching him with his claws on a few close calls. After about a minute, he finally managed to grab his tail. He swung him around in front of him, and then threw him into a dresser, knocking him out.

The dog came up and grabbed hold of Mooney's arm, pulling like a game of tug-of-war. Remus howled in pain, and made a swipe for him, but missed. Sirius jumped, and bit his side. The werewolf grabbed the dog by the scruff of his neck and slammed him down on the floor hard, belly-up, and made a swing at him, cutting his torso.

The dog yelped and rolled over, rushing back at him, this time accompanied by Caleb. Sirius made a go for his leg, while the fox jumped and bit his ear.

Remus yowled loudly, kicking at the dog and swiping at the lynx. Alex slipped down his back, and in his struggle to stay on, accidentally cut Remus across the snout and up, barely missing his eye.

The werewolf howled in pain, and turned on Caleb, forgetting the dog, still gnawing his leg and trying to distract him. The lynx spotted something behind the werewolf, stood, and bolted for the stairs. Remus started to chase, but was knocked over by something rather sharp. He turned to see what it was.

James was standing again, looking rather rugged- yes, but standing proud all the same. He was facing the werewolf with challenge in his eyes. Mooney accepted, running at him, causing Sirius to have one wild ride, and finally decide to let go. The stag lowered his antlers and charged at his opponent.

They collided with an almighty _**CRASH!**_ There was much dust unsettling, and moving of figures within the cloud. It was difficult to tell exactly was going on inside the fog of filth.

Finally, after five minutes of rustling, banging, and howling, James emerged carrying the unconscious werewolf in his antlers. He carried him up the stairs and into the bedroom, and laid him down gently on the bed.

He turned to face the others who had followed him into the room. They looked the worse for wear, and he was sure he could look little better. He changed back into a human, and the others followed suit.

Caleb had definitely gotten the best end of the deal tonight. He had a few cuts and scratches here and there, and a large bruise spreading the length of his back from being thrown on the floor. James and Sirius, however, were a bit worse.

James had claw marks reaching from his shoulders to his hips and cuts on his sides and face. There was a cut wrapping around his outer thigh, and bite marks here and there. He was bleeding profusely.

Sirius looked little better. He had that incise across his torso that looked like a mirror image of James' back injury. He had a broken rib from where Mooney had flung him onto the floor, but the rest were just casual cuts and scratches that were all over.

"Where's Alex?" James inquired worriedly, looking the two over as if maybe they were hiding him in their cloaks.

"He's downstairs. He hit a desk and got knocked out. I think he'll be alright," Sirius informed calmly.

"Prongs, you look awful. We should get you to the Hospital Wing," Caleb suggested looking at James and wincing.

"So do you guys. Besides, we can't leave Alex here alone, and we wouldn't be able to take him with us while he's morphed," he insisted stubbornly.

"James, look at that on your back! You're losing tons of blood. You won't last long at the rate you're going," he persisted just as stubbornly.

"Don't you think Madame Prose will ask questions? Sirius has one on his chest like the one on my back, and you don't hear him complaining either!" James said, beginning to lose his temper. Sirius shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like his name being dragged into the conversation.

"So what if she asks questions? Don't answer them!" Caleb countered, "And just because you and Sirius don't complain doesn't mean they aren't bad. It just means that you two are pigheaded!_"_

"You know, I don't think anyone has ever called us pigheaded other than Lily Evans," Sirius mused, slightly offended.

"You know, she's right. You two are stubborn," he said.

"When did I say anything? What did I say in this argument? I believe the proper phrase is- James is stubborn. I pointed this out to him earlier today in Charms, but Lily is a hypocrite. She is stubborn, too," Sirius stated matter-of-factly.

James and Caleb exchanged looks, and then turned to Sirius, "Duh!" Sirius feigned shock and offense.

"Well, we can't stay here. He might wake up," Caleb pointed out.

"Yes we can, and we will," James said obstinately, heading out the door and down the stairs, limping. They followed with sighs.

James limped over to where Alex was laying unconscious. He pulled out his wand and muttered, "_Ennervate," _Alex opened his eyes and stared up at the room dazedly. He seemed to realize where he was because he sat up and morphed back into human form, looking over the others concernedly.

"You guys look pitiful," he said quietly.

"Gee, thanks. You look fit for a ball, Prince Charming," Sirius said sarcastically. He was proud of his good looks!

"Yeah?" he asked, looking down at himself.

He had cuts and gashes, deep and shallow, all over; on his face, arms, back and legs, really everywhere. He also had bruised his entire right side from his contact with the desk. He was lucky that nothing was broken.

"Yeah," James answered simply.

"Alright. Now that he's awake, we're going back to the castle," Caleb said firmly.

"I love you too, bro," Alex laughed.

"No we're not," James maintained.

"Yes, we are," Caleb persevered, pulling out his wand.

"Hey! We have enough injuries here as it is!" Sirius cried, "James let's just go,"

"Why don't you want to go anyway?" Alex asked confused.

"He wants to go to the Hospital Wing where we'll be interrogated by Madame Prose, and maybe even McGonagall and Dumbledore!" James shouted with frustration.

"Prongs, come on. Stop being such a pessimist. It won't be that bad," Sirius said skeptically.

"Yeah, just don't answer their questions," Alex said simply.

"Three against one, Prongs," Caleb stated in a monotone.

"I see that. I also see that you're all fools, and this is a bad idea," James muttered, defeated.

"Right in one!" Sirius exclaimed grinning from ear to ear.

"And what would that be?" Alex asked incredulously.

"We're all fools," Sirius said obviously. They all rolled their eyes, but smiled all the same.

"Come on then," Caleb said, heading down into the tunnel. They all followed obediently.

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"WAKE U-mfh!" Alanna shouted, but Jackie had cut her off by throwing her comforter, which had fallen off during the night, at her. Alanna scrambled out of the blanket looking indignant. She stood up and stalked out of the dorm in a bad mood. No one in the dorm really cared at that moment though.

_About a forty-five minutes later…_

"GIRLS! WAKE UP!" Alanna shouted, storming back into the dorm.

"Oh no. She returns…" Carrissa muttered sleepily. Lily groaned. Jackie buried herself in her sheets. Dion didn't move, trying to play dead- …classic.

"I'm serious!" Alanna cried desperately, walking over to Carrissa, and shaking her.

"Are you really? In that case I have to kill you now," Jackie called from underneath her sheets.

"Yeah, you surely got a lot more girly in the past twelve hours," Carrissa said sitting up, having caved into Alanna's persistent shakings. Alanna had now moved over to Lily.

"You know what I mean. Classes are in twenty minutes!" she informed urgently.

Dion cut her off leaping out of bed, and rushing to get dressed, "Twenty minutes!? Why didn't you wake us sooner?!" Lily had also jumped out of bed. She wanted to be Head Girl next year, and that meant that she couldn't be late for class on the third day!

"I DID!" she retorted angrily, "But I haven't seen the Marauders at breakfast all morning. And Black can't live without his breakfast, we all know,"

"Are you actually worried about them?" Jackie asked in disbelief, peeking out from under her sheets, and hissing at the light coming in from the window.

"No. I'm just saying that it's odd!" Alanna exclaimed, not looking at Jackie.

"You like him," she taunted.

"What?"

"You _like_ him,"she teased, this was soo much fun.

"Who?" she asked skeptically.

"_Him_…" Jackie taunted, being deliberately difficult was a ball.

"_Him_ who?" Alanna inquired confusedly.

"Alright Jackie, stop toying with Alanna's brain. Get up and get dressed," Lily called, rescuing Alanna from the crazy person. Jackie shot Lily a look of loathing, but did as she was told. Alanna ran across the room to join Dion at the mirror.

"You haven't seen the Marauders all morning?" Dion asked to clarify the subject. Alanna nodded her head.

"They're probably still in the Hospital Wing with Remus," she mused.

"Maybe… but then they would come down to breakfast, right?" Lily inquired, coming up behind the two.

"Hmm… I suppose you're right, Lily," Dion admitted, applying mascara.

"Then where could they be?" Alanna pondered, walking around the dorm.

"Alanna, it's questions like those that it does best not to know the answer to," Carrissa said, brushing her hair back into a ponytail.

"Um… not that I care, but we only have three minutes to get to class," Jackie informed casually, pulling on her long, black, fingerless gloves and many bangles underneath her robes, as they were a violation of uniform.

"Oh my Gosh! You're kidding!" Lily cried as she grabbed her bag and jumped down the steps to the Common Room below, Dion on her heels. Alanna and Carrissa weren't two seconds behind, but Jackie was taking her time, walking calmly down the steps and out of the Portrait Hole.

The four dashed down the corridors to their separate classes: Lily and Dion to History of Magic, and Alanna and Carrissa to their different lessons. Jackie came sauntering into History of Magic about a minute after Lily and Dion.

"Ms. Evans, Ms. Lyons, Ms. Smith! Please do not come in after the bell has rung. Tardiness is not a good trait," Professor Binns said in his monotone.

"Oh… alright," Jackie said indifferently turning to leave, earning many a giggle from her surrounding classmates. Unfortunately for her, Dion grabbed her by the sleeve and pulled her back.

"Nice try," Lily murmured grinning, as they took their seats in the booths along the walls.

"Now class, today-," Professor Binns began, but Lily couldn't hear the rest due to a snoring sound in her ear resonating from Jackie. Lily rolled her eyes as she pulled out a piece of parchment to take notes on, and Dion shook her head pityingly.

They emerged from History of Magic an hour and a half later with Jackie looking rather scruffy, and Lily and Dion wondering how and why she ever took the class this year.

"It's a great place to catch up on some Z's, as I demonstrated today," Jackie explained haughtily. Dion and Lily just shook their heads and made their way down to lunch.

They entered the Great Hall, chatting away about Jackie and her tendency for doing bad things and never getting caught. They didn't even notice who was sitting next to them when they sat down on the benches until they were addressed.

"Wow, Alex. I knew a mouth could go a mile a minute, but I never knew it could go a mile a second," Caleb said pointedly to his twin.

"Neither did I, Caleb! It is truly an amazing phenomenon. We are lucky to have been here to witness it," Alex joked.

"Incredibly fortunate," he agreed seriously.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, quit messing around guys," Lily laughed, "Where were you two this morning?" The two exchanged nervous glances.

"We were…" Caleb began slowly.

"All eating breakfast with Remus in the Hospital Wing," Alex finished quickly. This was partially true seeing as they had returned for Remus at dawn, and they had had been in Hospital Wing with him until time for lunch. Lily eyed him suspiciously.

"How is poor Remus?" Dion asked with concern.

"He's feeling better," Caleb said consolingly.

"Can we go see him?" Lily inquired hopefully.

"…I suppose," Alex said slowly.

"What?" Jackie asked with a glare.

"Well, you may not be able to see him," he continued.

"It depends on how he feels, and what Madame Prose says," Caleb interjected. Jackie was about to retort, but they were saved by Alanna dancing towards them, followed by Carrissa, looking confused and amused at the same time.

"Hello! Oh, you won't believe what wonderful lesson I had!" Alanna practically sang.

"Oh boy… here it comes," Jackie muttered.

"Guess who asked moi out?!" she cried pointing to herself and looking ecstatic.

"Who?" Lily asked, showing interest only for her friend's happiness.

"CARADOC DEARBORN!" she squealed, jumping up and down, causing quite a scene.

"WHO?!" Jackie exclaimed as she stood up.

"Caradoc Dearborn!" she said once more and looking distant.

"Alanna! Dearborn is a prat! A womanizer! You're not going with him!?" she lectured. Alanna didn't answer, but began dancing around the hall humming a romantic tune. James and Sirius stumbled into the hall laughing at something one of them had said. They spotted the happenings, and immediately stopped, making their way towards their friends.

"Anyone care to explain Cinderella over there?" James inquired jabbing his thumb in the direction of Alanna, who had now grabbed a Hufflepuff third year and begun swinging him around as a dance partner.

"Caradoc Dearborn asked her out," Carrissa explained blandly.

"CARADOC!?" Sirius exclaimed, outraged, "That womanizing prat!?"

"My thought's exactly," Jackie said, glad that someone finally saw it her way, even if it was… Black.

"Potter! Black! Evans!" a voice called from behind the group. Sirius, James, Lily, Caleb, and Alex all turned. It was the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, Gideon Prewett.

"James, Sirius, Caleb, Alex; I need to talk with you," he said, surprised at Lily's turning.

"Alright, I'll only be minute Lily darling," James said grabbing her hand and kissing it.

Lily, unfortunately, didn't slap him. She wiped her hand on her shirt disgustedly and said sarcastically, "I'll be counting the moments,"

Dion had gone after the eccentric Alanna, and pulled her back to the group.

"Alanna, you know we all want the best for you, right?" Lily asked. Alanna nodded.

"Then please listen to us when we say, don't go out with Caradoc Dearborn," Carrissa pleaded.

"Why can't you all just accept that I am happy with a guy?!" she asked with accusation.

"We don't want to see you get hurt! We want you to be with the _right_ guy!" Dion explained.

"Caradoc _is_ the right guy! He loves me and I love him!" Alanna cried.

"He _just_ asked you out! That doesn't mean he _loves_ you! But if you want to get trampled over, don't cry to me for comfort!" Jackie shouted, unable to bottle it anymore. She stood up and left the hall just as the boys reentered.

"What's up with her?" Caleb asked concernedly.

"Don't ask," Lily said simply.

"Too late," Sirius joked. Lily glared at him, and he cowered.

"What did Gideon want?" Dion asked changing the subject.

"We're having trials for a new chaser. Gideon's brother, Fabian, left last year so there's an empty space," James explained, picking at his plate, "So how many moments was it, Lily?"

"Not enough," she muttered under her breath.

"I might try out," Jackie said unexpectedly and popping up from nowhere while giving everyone heart attacks.

"What?!" everyone shouted at once.

"And how did you get here when you were just out there?!" Sirius asked with shallow breathing and clutching his chest as she stood behind him.

"You heard me. I'm a pretty good flyer, you know. I might try out," she said airily, ignoring Sirius' question.

"You know who the other members of the team are, right?" Lily inquired as though maybe she had bumped her head and soothing her breathing from the sudden outburst.

"Yes. Beaters are the twins, Keeper is Gideon, Seeker is Potter, Chasers are Black and Longbottom," she named energetically, counting them off on her fingers.

"And you haven' sustained any major injury in the past twenty-four hours?" Dion interrogated.

Jackie groaned, "No! I just want to play!"

"Alright, Jackie. If it's what you really want," Carrissa said consolingly.

"Well ladies, it might interest you to know that we are almost late for our Defense Against the Dark Arts class with our new teacher, Professor Mikhail, and those delightful Slytherins" Alex announced cheerily, who had been waiting for the perfect moment to make his proclamation, knowing it would drive Lily and Dion nuts.

"ALEX!" Dion shouted angrily, grabbing her bag and darting out of the hall, Lily at her side, and Carrissa in tow.

"I love doing that," Alex said beaming as he walked out calmly after them with the Marauders and Jackie, who didn't care how late she was for class.

"Professor! I am _so_ sorry we are late! We lost track of time and-," Lily spurted as she skidded to halt inside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, closely followed by Dion and Carrissa.

"It is perfectly alright. I myself forgot about class until a student came barging into my classroom," Professor Mikhail said kindly. Lily just smiled awkwardly and took her seat next to Dion.

Two minutes later, Jackie waltzed into the classroom accompanied by, how odd, the Marauders! They took no notice of the new Professor and he took no notice of them, as they took their seats.

"Class, today you shall not be taking notes nor doing anything boring," he announced happily. The class cheered.

He continued, "You will, instead, be demonstrating your level of ability to me by means of a competition. The winner shall receive a box of Honeydukes sweets which, I hear, are very desirable candies here."

The classroom burst into sudden whispers. Talking of the reward, and of how Professor Mikhail could possibly not know of Honeydukes.

"Yes, I know you want to go ahead and get started then, so let us split into pairs, and find a spot in the room to duel. When you have finished, join me at the front of the class. Please, for safety, do not use any extensive curses. Hexes are fine, but we don't want anyone seriously injured," Professor Mikhail went on. They all obeyed.

Lily went with Dion, saying that if either of them won, they would share the reward with the others. After everybody was in pairs, Professor Mikhail vanished the desks, and everybody took a ready position.

"Ready, one… two… three!" he shouted and at that same moment everyone started firing off jinxes and hexes at each other.

"_Protego_!" Lily shouted blocking an unknown hex from Dion, "_Rictusempra_!" The jinx hit Dion square in the middle, and she doubled over with laughter from the tickling spell.

"_Impedimenta_!" she stuttered out. It hit Lily, causing her to fly backwards and get the wind knocked out of her. This gave Dion enough time to ward off the tickling jinx, and be ready by the time Lily was.

"_Trodsur_!"(1) Lily shouted at Dion, and immediately she tripped over nothing. Lily took the moment to her advantage, "_Incarcerous_!" Dion was then bound by ropes flying out of Lily's wand.

Dion looked up at Lily with a scowl. Lily looked hurt and frightened, and then Dion burst into spontaneous laughter. Lily stared at her friend for a moment then began laughing herself. She released her, and they walked up to Professor Mikhail, grinning.

They watched as others finished their duels and joined them at the front. When the last duel had ended, Professor Mikhail addressed the class again, "Alright, excellent fighting! Now would the winners go to that wall," he motioned to their left, "And everyone else to the wall behind me," They all did as they were told, and then waited for more instructions.

"Now when I call your name, please come to the center of the room to face your opponent," he called to the winners, "Bellatrix Black and Alex Evans," Lily gasped, and squeezed Jackie's arm.

"Lily, get off! I can't feel my arm!" she whispered. She had won against Capella Bulstrode (A/N Yes I know that is Sirius' ancestor's name, but she inherited it!). Carrissa was also joining them in the line with the winners, but she knew she shouldn't get her hopes up; she wasn't the best fighter in the world. Jackie, on the other hand, was known for fighting dirty.

Lily watched as Alex marched out to meet Bellatrix. His face was expressionless as Professor Mikhail counted to three, and he blocked the curse already flying out of Bellatrix's wand towards him.

She sent spell after spell at him mercilessly, and after about twenty seconds decided to see how he was faring. This was a mistake on her part. He took the split second pause to his advantage, and sent a stinging hex at her through the dust. She howled in pain, and covered her face. Alex took a moment to catch his breath, always eyeing her for any sign of dangerous movement.

She turned and pointed her wand at him, as though it were a sword. He stood up straight, wand at the ready. She slashed her wand through the air, like a knife, and watched as blood appeared on Alex's face and chest, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"ALEX!" Lily screamed. She broke away from the wall and made to run after him, but felt an arm pulling her back. She didn't know who it was, nor did she care. All she knew was that Alex was hurt and needed help. All she knew was that she had to get to him before it was too late. All she knew was that she couldn't lose Alex like she had lost her dad. All she knew was that she couldn't go through that again.

She watched as Professor Mikhail came rushing onto the stage, scooping up Alex and scolding Bellatrix, telling her to come with him. Lily broke free of the grip, and ran after Professor Mikhail followed by Caleb, Dion, James, Sirius, and the girls. They rushed to the Hospital Wing, Bellatrix looking triumphant. Madame Prose bustled over to them as they entered looking distressed.

"What happened?" she inquired, looking over his wounds.

"We were having a dueling competition, and this girl hit him with an unknown curse," Professor Mikhail explained, lying him down on the bed that was motioned for.

"Dueling!? You allowed them to use curses?" Madame Prose looked at him scrutinizing.

"No! She wasn't supposed to. I'm not irresponsible. It was a friendly competition to test their abilities, Ma'am!" he said, looking offended.

"Hmm…" was all she said in return.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to see Professor Dumbledore," and with that, he left the Hospital Wing. Madame Prose looked at the others still standing there, watching the nurse work on Alex.

"He can't have any visitors right now," she said sharply. Lily and some of the others began to protest, but she felt a hand fly over her mouth.

"We're here to see Remus," she heard Sirius say from behind her. Madame Prose looked at them all through narrowed eyes.

"No more than six visitors at a time," she said, eyeing them suspiciously.

"That's alright. Alanna and I have somewhere to be now anyway, right Alanna?" Jackie said, not waiting for an answer, she grabbed Alanna's wrist and dragged her out of the Hospital Wing.

Lily felt the hand leave her mouth and she decided to wait until they were out of view of Madame Prose to berate him. She followed the others to a bed that was half hidden by curtains. The only problem with this was it also hid the rest of the wing from view.

Lily moved to the other side of the curtain, and as she did, a teen came into view, looking rugged and pale.

"Oh, Remus!" Dion cried in shock.

"Raise your voice a little, why don't you? I think there are a few people in AMERICA that didn't hear you!" Sirius said irritably. Dion blushed, and kept quiet.

"I assure, I am just fine. I'll be out of here in no time," Remus said consolingly.

"I thought you said he had Dragon Pox," Carrissa said, examining Remus from the end of the bed.

"He/I did!" all of the boys cried at once.

"Then where are the pock marks? I see no pock marks," she said matter-of-factly. All of the boys considerably paled, even Remus, which was a substantial feat since he was already very pale. Lily decided to come to the rescue.

"Which one of you stopped me from talking back there?" she said angrily, trying and succeeding in getting them all to forget about the Dragon Pox.

"Umm… Well you see Lily," James began.

"The thing is…" Sirius started.

"W-what you need to understand is…" Caleb stuttered.

"Which one?" she muttered through clenched teeth. At the same time they all pointed to different people; James and Caleb to Sirius, and Sirius to James.

"Sirius?" she asked smoothly. James and Caleb nodded, still pointing. Sirius shook his head vigorously.

"Okay, just wanted to know," she said cheerily. Dion and Carrissa burst out laughing, Remus just sat there shaking his head, chuckling, and James Sirius, and Caleb stood there speechless, twitching. They all seemed to regain the power of speech at the same time, and the same word seemed to pop into their heads, "WHAT?!"

They all stood around talking and explaining to Remus what had happened for a while until Professor Mikhail came back during the middle of dinner.

"I have talked with Professor Dumbledore, and Ms. Black is going to be suspended until Halloween. I am very sorry about what happened today. I'm glad to hear that he is healing quickly. You have my sincerest condolences and apologies," he said genuinely.

"It wasn't your fault. There's no need to apologize," Lily said kindly. She nudged Caleb, who was staring out the window, and didn't seem to have taken to Professor Mikhail.

"Thanks for the condolences," Caleb said blandly. Professor Mikhail nodded and took his leave. Sirius looked like Christmas had come early!

"_Bellatrix is suspended_! Oh what will mother say about _that_!?" he shouted jumping up and down, "Her little do-gooder is _suspended_! Now only if we could get Regulus to do something wrong…" he added thoughtfully.

"Lily! There you are!" a voice shouted from the doorway. Lily turned and saw Marlene McKinnon, the Head Girl, striding towards her, hands on her hips.

"Oh, hi Marlene," she said awkwardly.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! Since we didn't get to have our prefects meeting on the train, we're going to have a make-up one next Friday. Until then the house prefects will take it in turns to patrol every two days, starting with Gryffindor tonight and tomorrow," Marlene explained rather quickly.

"Umm… Marlene, Remus can't do it. He's stuck here," Lily informed hesitantly, gesturing at the bed where Remus was laying.

"Well… I suppose you'll have to patrol alone then. Good luck!" she said as she turned on her heel and marched out of the Hospital Wing. Lily was stunned. Marlene had been the one that had said that prefects shouldn't go out alone, yet here she was wishing Lily luck.

Lily turned and saw all of her friends staring back at her with looks of kindness and sympathy. They all offered to go with her, but she refused. She left the Hospital Wing, and walked down the marble staircase, just thinking.

She exited the castle through the Great Oak doors, and walked down the lawn towards Hagrid's Hut. She didn't really know where she was going; she just knew she was going. She walked right up to the door of Hagrid's Hut and knocked three times. The door flew open revealing a man more than three times her size.

"Oh! 'Lo Lily! C'mon in," he said in his booming voice. She obliged.

"Would ya care fer a cup o' tea?" he offered. She shook her head.

"Somethin' botherin' ya?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh no, Hagrid. I was just thinking," she said putting on a false smile. He returned it.

"How's yer firs' week back bin?" he inquired taking a seat.

"Rather eventful," she said honestly, "The train ride nearly killed us, some guy tried to feel me up, Caleb and Alex get drunk off of some weird drink at breakfast, Remus gets sick, Alex get cursed into oblivion by Bellatrix Black…It's been loads of fun," she said sarcastically.

"Bellatrix _what_?!" he bellowed.

"Bellatrix got suspended for using a curse on Alex. It could've killed him. I saw the whole thing," she admitted weakly.

"Tha' rotten, good-fer-nothin', cousin o' Sirius' -nothin' agains' Sirius o' course-," he muttered furiously.

"Yes. Well… I think I should go now Hagrid," Lily said standing up.

"Oh, alrigh'. I'll be seein' ya, Lily," he said as she walked out the door.

The sun was already setting on the horizon when she had set out to Hagrid's, but she did not think that it would be pitch when she left. She looked up, and felt a drop of rain hit her cheek. Then another one. And then another. And another. And before she could take two steps it was pouring.

She allowed the rain to envelope her as she trudged back up to the castle. She imagined that every drop washed part of her troubles away.

Her eyes flew open as she remembered- Patrols. She had to do Patrols tonight! She picked up her pace and ran back to castle. She stepped inside, and was about to perform a drying spell on herself when she noticed that the doors to the Great Hall were ajar. She wasn't sure what time it was, but it was well after dinner, and she was sure that she could hear voices coming from inside.

She walked across the corridor towards the doors, and peeked through the gap. She could see shadows on the wall, lit by torches. There was a group there, about six. Lily strained her ears to hear their whispered conversation.

"_-sure you saw them heading down before nightfall, Severus?_" questioned a deep, anxious voice.

"_Positive_," Snape drawled.

"_So it is time… oh, this is just the perfect time for Bella to get expelled_," the voice said sarcastically, "_She never can keep her temper,"_

"_Don't you dare accuse my sister!"_ a female voice exclaimed furiously.

"_I haven't blamed your sister for anything, Cissy… yet_," he said calmly, "_She could seriously mess things up, though. Lucius- you and Rodulphus will have to make up for her absence. No time can be lost. This will not please the Dark Lord at all…_" he said rather restively.

Lily gasped. The Dark Lord… Wasn't that Lord Voldemort's title used by the- what were they called? - Death Eaters? What were they doing at Hogwarts?

"_What was that?"_ a male voice said warily. Oh no! He must've heard Lily gasp.

"_What was what, Regulus?"_ the deep voiced man said exasperatedly.

"_I_ _heard something just outside the door_," Regulus said forcefully.

"_Rodulphus, go check the door_," the man with the deep voice sighed. Lily heard footsteps coming her way. She quickly unglued her ear from the door, and made a mad dash for the Grand Staircase.

She ran all the way up to the Gryffindor Common Room. The redhead stepped inside the Portrait Hole, and leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. The others seemed to have returned from the Hospital Wing, and were now relaxing around the fire.

"Lily!" Caleb called sitting up from his lounging position in his chair. The others turned to look in surprise.

"Lily, are you alright?" Carrissa said, standing up slowly from her spot on the floor to examine Lily closer, "You look pale, and why are you sopping wet?!" Lily looked down and realized that she hadn't completed drying herself off when she came inside the castle.

"I'm fine… I just need to… catch my breath…" she said in between gulps of air.

"Here, have a seat. You need it," James said jumping up from his spot on the couch. Lily was stunned by his courtesy, but brushed it off and took the seat.

"Lily, why do you look like you've just run a marathon with the Headless Hunt?" Sirius inquired worriedly after having observed her closer, since she took the seat right next to him.

"I have something important to tell you. I just came in from visiting Hagrid, and I overheard some people talking in the Great Hall," she began, staring at her shoes, "There was a man. He asked if Snape was sure he had seen someone heading somewhere before nightfall. They seemed to be talking about a plan… where no time could be lost… and Bellatrix getting expelled would mess it up…" she looked up to see everyone staring at her with concern, "One of them mentioned the Dark Lord-,"

"One of them what?!" James exclaimed furiously, although he had been fighting to keep his temper ever since the mention of Snape's name.

"Lily, did they say the Dark Lord or He-who-must-not-be-named or his actual _name_?" Caleb asked more calmly than James.

"The Dark Lord," she said simply.

James face went stony, "Did you see who was there?"

She shook her head, "No, but I heard some names. There was Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, your brother- Regulus, some man named Rodulphus-,"

"Another one of my dearest cousins…" Sirius mumbled irritably.

Lily continued, "Some 'Cissy' character, and a man who was talking but his name was never said,"

Alanna gasped, "Y-you don't think it could've been _him_, do you?"

"It wasn't, Alanna. He is the one that said 'This will not please the Dark Lord at all…'" she comforted, although this wasn't much of a comforting thought to Alanna.

"Well at least whatever it is, it's going badly," Caleb said, rather more comfortingly.

"Something is missing… Where are Dion and Jackie?" Lily asked in panic.

"Oh, Dion is in your dorm, and Jackie went out to find you… She was ready to murder us all when she found out we let you patrol alone," Sirius said reminiscently.

"Oh no! What if she runs into those people that were down in the Great Hall?! They sounded like they were about to leave… oh no… if anything happens to her it's all my fault. I'll kill myself!" Lily exclaimed jumping up and pacing around the Common Room.

"Lily! Jackie is strong and independent. She can take care of herself. That's why she set out to find you tonight," Caleb said reassuringly.

"I say we follow fair lady, and rescue this damsel in distress!" Sirius shouted dramatically jumping up and pointing to the ceiling.

"Ah, but what if there be-est no damsel, nor any distress? Shant thou look the fool?" Caleb said, also getting to his feet.

"'Tis that not what we are, men? Fools! Shall thou now besmirch that title with shame? Nay, say 'tis false!" he cried clutching his heart in mock pain.

"Yay! We are fools! Let us ride out with fair maiden, and find this damsel in distress! For we must rescue her, or perish!" James called, joining in the action.

"Fools! Be-est this damsel not the same who did threaten thee not four suns ago?" Caleb said eccentrically.

"Nay! She be-est the same! She must perish!" James hollered, running over to Caleb's side.

"Why make this poor damsel suffer a terrible fate for past atrocities?! Can thou not put aside thy odium, and save her from these deathly snakes?!" Sirius cried theatrically. James looked between the two for a moment, before bounding back over to Sirius.

"What are you, a lost puppy?" Carrissa asked amusedly from her spot on the rug.

"Look, Knights of the Round Table, whoever's coming with me, c'mon. Whoever's staying, take a seat," Lily said irritably, walking to the Portrait Hole. Sirius leapt over to her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him.

"Thou, dear lady, shall not be joining us on our conquest," he said smiling.

"What do you mean?" she said icily.

"Dost thou not speakest English? Let me explain in French. The language of _amour_," he joked, getting down on one knee.

She was rescued by James, "You speak French?" he inquired quizzically, not bothering with Shakespearean themes anymore.

Sirius shot him a playfully irritated glare as he stood up, "Maybe…" he said dodgedly, "The point is you're not coming, Ms. Evans,"

"Why not?" she protested heatedly.

"Because you haven't the slightest idea where she might be or what danger she might be in. Therefore you would only get in the way," he said calmly.

"And you have?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we do," he stated, "We know exactly where she is, exactly who she's with, and therefore exactly what danger she's in. Besides, we can handle this much better than you,"

Lily drew her wand and placed it under Sirius' chin, "Can you now? How exactly did you get this information?"

"Classified, and you still aren't coming," he said, warily eyeing her wand.

"C'mon guys. We're wasting time! Lily put that wand down and take a seat! We'll be back in a few minutes," Caleb shouted irritably, grabbing James and Sirius and dragging them out of the room.

Lily plopped down beside Alanna with a sigh, "You know the only reason he didn't want me to go was because he didn't want me to ruin his limelight. Imagine the look on his face when Jackie has every one of those Slytherins beaten to a bloody pulp by the time he gets there,"

Alanna smiled at the thought, "But weren't you the one saying just now that you would kill yourself if anything happened to her?"

"Yes, and I would, but Caleb talked some sense –a rarity in of itself- and I would be more afraid for the damn Slytherins at this point,"

"I agree with Lily. Those cowards will probably be stuck in the Hospital Wing for the rest of the year after Jackie gets through with them," Carrissa said brightly.

Lily smiled and said, "I think I'll go ahead and turn in now. If anyone's looking for me, I'll be upstairs," She walked up the spiral stairs, and entered her dorm trying to find Dion.

* * *

_**So what did ou think guys? Was it worth the wait? Of course not! Not that long of a wait. But good news!- and no i didnt just save a lot of money by switching to Geico... I am working on Chapter 6 as you read! So hopefully it will be done sooner than this one was. No promses this time though. I'm taking an extra advanced class this year so I'll have more homework than usual. I'll try to work on this as often as I can though! So until next chapter... Auf Weidersein!**_


	7. Chapter 6: Weekends

A/N- Hey Guys… Yes I know. I promised a quick update and again its been weeks, but HEY! its quicker than last chap! And trust me… this one is definitely worth the wait. This chapter brings out the reason why my story is rated T! Anyway… I hope you enjoy it and review. And as you might've noticed I do not put disclaimers but I put a disclaimer on my summary so I think of it as applying to my entire story. And trust me… after this chapter… you will probably want to review. Its well worth the wait…

**Editors note (please include): HELLO READERS. 8D This is your beloved editor, MC. Not... that we've ever talked. So... I... can't really be beloved, can I...? WELLWHATEVER. I just wanted to pop up - randomly, and fashionably late, of course, only fitting for a Prince such as myself - and greet all of you wonderous readers. I mean, seriously. I've edited every chapter of this story, and none of you know who the heck I am (I would use more explicit words, but I'm afraid my employeer would beat me 8D). OKAY. Now that that's over and done with... review. Please. We'll give you... Jet Set Radio Future. And a free pink IPOD with fantabulous Techno songs on it if you favorite. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TOOOOOO. 8D**

**-With love,**

**Prince MC 3**

* * *

_**Chapter Six**_

_**Weekends…**_

Lily entered the dormitory, immediately wondering why all of the lights were out if Dion was supposed to be up here.

"Dion?" she called out, praying that she was in there and not out somewhere in the castle. She heard a faint sniff to her right, and lit her wand.

"L-Lily? Is that you?" said a voice from behind some bed-curtains. Lily moved over toward the bed and pulled them back, revealing the slender form of Dion Lyons. She was laying face down on her bed, looking up at Lily with an extremely tear-stained face.

"Dion? What's the matter?" Lily inquired kindly, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"L-Lily- I," she stuttered, paused a moment, then said, "Lily… you're my best friend. I can trust you with anything. I've got to tell someone or I might burst!"

Lily looked calmly at her friend, ready to accept the piece of information that she was about to divulge to her.

"Lily… I… I like Alex," she said outright, "And I'm worried now. Those wounds were pretty deep, and he had already been hit by all of those hexes before, remember? What if he's not all right? What if the damage is permanent? What will I do?" she said in a rush as she began sobbing again.

Lily pulled her into an embrace, letting her cry on her shoulder. Like Lily, Dion had also experienced great loss in her childhood. Everyone of Lily's friends had experienced loss of some sort. Except Carrissa, who had the most wonderful, loving family.

Dion's younger sister, Desiree, had died in a car wreck. Her mother, the muggle, had set out with the two in the car to go get groceries. Out of nowhere, a drunk driver appeared and slammed into the side of the car… the side where Desiree was sitting… then just took off down the road again.

Dion's mother had severe head trauma where her head had slammed into the steering wheel, since the airbag had failed to deploy, and knocked her unconscious. Dion got away with whip lash, a few cuts and a mild concussion from colliding with the window she had been staring out of moments before the driver hit them. Desiree, on the other hand, was bleeding from the head and most of her had been crushed by the impacted metal. She was rushed to the hospital, where, hours later, the doctor had informed them that Desiree was dead.

"Dion… that isn't going to happen. Alex is strong. He's healing fast, and this is magic! He's going to be all right," Lily comforted softly.

"Are you sure?" Dion inquired tentatively, still sniffling.

"Of course! Everything is going to be fine," she persisted.

"Thanks Lily," she said gratefully, sitting up and wiping her eyes.

"It was nothing. You should get some rest. We have a busy study day tomorrow," Lily smiled consolingly.

Dion smiled back as she laid her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes, "Goodnight Lily,"

"Goodnight Dion…," Lily said softly, closing her curtains and moving over to her trunk to get ready for bed.

She was climbing into her bed about fifteen minutes later when the door to the dormitory opened and Jackie entered.

"There you are, Lily," she said, blandly moving over to her own trunk.

"Should I ask what happened?" Lily asked moving towards her.

"Eh… I don't think it's a story for tonight…," she replied not looking at her, but preceding over to the mirror to get ready for bed.

"All right. I'll take your word for it…goodnight, Jackie," she said as she climbed into bed. She heard Jackie's grunt of acknowledgment and took it as a 'goodnight'.

°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸

Lily awoke the next morning at her own liking, as it was the weekend and Alanna had not bothered at attempting to wake them up. It was near 9:30 when she woke, and she quickly showered and dressed, heading out of the door silently so as not to wake the others. She headed down to breakfast where Alanna, Remus, and Carrissa were already digging into plates piled high with bacon, eggs, and the like.

"'M-morning," Lily yawned in greeting.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Alanna said cheerfully.

"So what's on the agenda of things to do today, Lily?" Carrissa inquired, still somewhat groggy.

"Not this early, Criss'," she said as she reached for the sausage.

"Wow… the great Lily Evans not thinking about work! That's a first…," Caleb said as he passed behind Remus and took the seat on his other side.

"Oh, hardy har har," she said sarcastically.

"Don't you have anything better to do other than eat and make fun of people?" Carrissa inquired almost disgusted.

"Carrissa, trust me when I say, you don't want to ask that," Remus said forebodingly. The lone twin just grinned while the girls rolled their eyes with disgusted looks on their faces.

"Hey…," Dion said sleepily as she plopped down in the seat beside Lily.

"Well, aren't you just a morning glory?" Caleb teased. Dion gave him an evil glare and he returned to his meal with renewed gusto.

"You not sleep well, Di'?" asked Alanna, looking concerned.

"Mm… more like I didn't wake up well…," Dion said as she took a plate from Carrissa.

"Ahh… I see," she replied, "Oh look, here come the buffoon twins,"

"What?" Lily asked confusedly, but her question was answered when she turned her head around and saw the two forms of James and Sirius making their way towards them.

"Good morning ladies!" Sirius said pointedly.

"Oh! How rude of me!" Caleb joked, "Allow me to push in your chair, m'lady!"

"There are no chairs, Caleb," Alanna pointed out.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I can't offer the gesture!" he replied with a grin as Sirius gave him a look of loathing for ruining his gag.

"Now, now boys, play nicely. Or am I going to have to call ol' Minnie or Dumby?" James said, smiling as he took his spot beside Sirius.

"Aw, drop it, James. Caleb's too much of a goody goody to start anything serious like that," Sirius said, clearly trying to provoke a fight. It was working. No Gryffindor, especially a Marauder would tolerate cowardice.

Caleb stood up and turned to face Sirius with no look of mirth on his face what-so-ever, "What did you say? Do you want to say that to my face you coward? You _Slytherin!" _Caleb had touched a nerve there. He knew Sirius couldn't stand his Slytherin family, and would do anything to defend his Gryffindor honor. Sirius rose at his words and attempted to leap at him, but was caught in the chest by James who was currently rising to his own feet.

"Boys! This is enough! I swear; the things you'll go to to have a laugh are outrageous! Sit down and calm yourselves before I have to glue you to your seats with a Permanent Sticking Charm!" Lily declared forcefully. The boys slowly obeyed only because they would rather be able to walk upright the rest of their lives, but never taking their eyes off of one another.

"My father was a very wise man!" exclaimed James randomly.

"Was?" Sirius inquired, "He's still alive. I talked to him just last week,"

James glared at him, "It adds effect… Anyway!"

"And your Dad… Wise?" Sirius continued as if he hadn't heard him, "I mean, I could understand the king of all pranks, but wise? Where do you get that?"

"If you would shut up for two seconds… I would tell you," he muttered, scowling, "As I was saying… My father was a very wise man!

"He once told me, 'Son… never stick your wand in your ear'," James finished smiling.

There was a silence full of many random blinks.

"What?" he inquired innocently.

More silence…

"Oh, if only you had listened…," Lily said monotonously. James glared at her.

"On a happier note!" Alanna exclaimed suddenly, making them jump, "I had a dream last night!"

"Congratulations," Carrissa muttered blandly.

"I dreamed that the man of my dreams bought me a 14 karat diamond ring," she said dreamily.

"Don't be ridiculous, 'Lana. How could they fit a whole carrot into a diamond? much less 14 of them!?" Sirius asked naively.

"You know Sirius… sometimes I really worry about you…," Remus stated concernedly.

"Alanna, I have an idea. Let's never talk about you," Caleb said coldly.

"That was cruel, Caleb!" Dion cried, rushing to Alanna's side to comfort her.

"What?" he inquired obliviously. They all just rolled their eyes at him.

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They exited breakfast twenty minutes later and preceded to the common room, where they were just in time to see Jackie descending the stairs of the girl's dormitory looking very groggy, not even awake yet! Her eyes were closed, but miraculously she was dressed and not bumping into things! She plopped down on the couch in front of the fire, curled up into a ball, and began breathing deeply. Sirius plopped down beside her, and proceeded to stare intently at her as though wondering how long it would take her to notice. The others watched with looked of amusement and annoyance.

Dion began counting backwards on her fingers from five. When she reached one, Jackie twitched and kicked Sirius straight in the jaw. He yelped in pain, fell backwards off of the couch holding his jaw, and hit his head squarely on the coffee table before finally reaching the ground. He stood up fuming and looking at Jackie, who was still soundly sleeping (or so it seemed), with a look of purest loathing.

"Ohh… that is IT!" he said as he took the step towards her, closing the gap, grabbed her face, bent down, and abruptly pressed his lips to hers.

Her eyes flew open, staring into the face of Sirius Black. She was temporarily stunned, but after realization she got over that! She pulled back her first, swung it as hard as she possibly could, and made it collide with his cheek. He flew back, tripped over the coffee table, and was only saved from rolling over into the fire by the fencing around it, but he did get a number of sparks up his drawers causing him to jump up yelping with pain.

"You _trollop_! How _dare_ you!" Jackie hollered at him.

"Excuse _me_, Your Royal Highness, nobody told me the rule about not touching the queen!" Sirius bellowed back irritably.

"What did you call me?! You little _punk_! I ought to kick your ass!" she screamed at him.

"Guys! Cut it out! Let's drop it and start on our homework," suggested Alanna.

"Stay out of this, people. If the dumb ass wants to go at it, we'll go at it," Jackie said, not taking her eyes off of Sirius.

"Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning… and as far as kicking my ass… I'd like to see you try. You can't touch this. I'm too sexy!" he said cockily.

"Really?! You want to bet on that?" she asked seriously.

"Sure! 50 galleons says you can't touch me," he said smugly.

"You're on!"

"Let's go!"

"Come on!"

"Ladies first!"

"If you insist!" and with that, she flew at him, and he took off out of the Portrait Hole.

"Come back here you little coward!" she called after him as she chased, but he ignored her and kept on running.

On and on he ran. It was a bright, sunny day, but everywhere behind Jackie turned to darkness, storm, and decay.

Sirius glanced behind him as he ran with a smile on his face that quickly turned to a look of purest terror, "Ha ha ha-…oly shit!" and he immediately turned his head back around and picked up the pace tenfold.

He ran out onto the grounds, past the lake, past Hagrid's hut, and to the Quidditch Pitch, all the time with Jackie on his tail. It almost reminded him of a ferocious bull. He grabbed his broom and took off in an attempt to make an escape. She followed his example and took off after him. He flew off around the pitch thinking, 'Oh bloody hell, that's right, she can fly…I'm screwed…I'm too sexy to die!'

Jackie was gaining on him quickly, giving him a glare that could, not only kill, but cause an entire bloodbath. Sirius flattened himself against the broom, trying to gain more momentum as Jackie came up beside him looking demented. He slowed down and turned to face her.

"I suppose it wouldn't do any good to apologize now would it?" he asked putting on his most charming but innocent smile. She just continued to glower at him with the same unchanging glare. She was soo going to 86 him.

"How could you tell?" she asked in a tone so irritable, her temple seemed to throb.

Sirius winced but gave all effort to keep his cool in front of her. "Okay… How 'bout the most heart felt apology you have ever heard… with sugar on top!?"

"…I don't think so," she said with malice.

"I thought not…," he said disappointedly. He paused for a moment to think, "…hm… Fairest Lady! Allowest thee to declare mine love for thou! I shalt shout it to the world!" he cried merrily while drifting slowly upward.

"Sirius Black! You Are SO DEAD!" Jackie shouted, starting to advance on him.

"Oh, you don't seem to like that too much… hmm… SHALL I COMPARE THEE To A Summer's Day!? Thou art more lovely and more temperate! Rough Winds Do Shake-AGH!" Sirius started but was rudely interrupted by a blow to his side, made by Jackie ramming into him, that knocked the wind out of him, as well as knocked him off of his broom. He managed to regain thought just in time to grab onto the very edge of the handle of his broom and swing his leg back over.

"That 'twas not very ladylike, Ms. Smith. Shall I have to showest thou what we do with ladies who be-est un-lady-like?" Sirius teased giving her a look of shame.

"Shut It, Shakespeare! Get over here and fight me like a man!" Jackie shouted angrily.

"Ah, yes… I would, but… It just so happens to be a rule that you aren't supposed to hit girls…," Sirius smirked.

"…Oh no… you did not just…AGH!" Jackie muttered through squinting eyes before leaping furiously off of her broom and over to Sirius, trying to pound every inch of him into dust.

"Bloody HELL!! Jackie! I didn't know you were like _that_!" he taunted, trying to squirm out of her grasp.

"I am going to rip your freaking head OFF!" she yelled in his ear as she took a hold of his throat.

"Um… Please don't… I rather treasure my beautiful head," he pleaded, stroking his cheek.

"Ugh… forget… you're not worth my time anyway…," and with that, she kicked him off of the broom and flew down to the broom shed. In the background could be heard a surprisingly girlish scream followed by a huge SPLAT! That caused many turned heads, but Jackie just ignored it as if she hadn't heard a thing and kept on flying.

She put her broom away and began the trek back up towards the castle. She could see figures running down the lawn towards her, and she rolled her eyes annoyed.

"Jacqueline Smith! What on earth happened?!" Alanna interrogated as she stomped up to her with wide eyes that flickered back and forth from her to the pitch behind her.

"Nothing," she replied, smiling impishly, "And DON'T call me by my first name!"

"Jackie… what did you do?" Lily asked, eyes narrowed.

"Oh… nothing," she said, still smiling, "Nothing that can't be fixed with a little magic and TLC, anyway. And with some counseling, I think he might even find it in himself to forgive me… but if he doesn't, it wouldn't be much of a loss… (_Man whore…_),"

"Jackie…," James said threateningly.

"Don't you take that tone with me, boy! You know I can beat you up in a New York minute," she said casually.

Caleb just shook his head and tore off down the lawn to the Quidditch Pitch, followed momentarily by James. Jackie continued on her path towards the castle with a leer on her face.

She started to enter the Great Hall when the doors slammed open and in came the two boys carrying Sirius by his arms and legs.

Sirius seemed to be out cold and his arm looked oddly misshapen, but other than that he looked in rather good condition for falling from that height.

Lily, Alanna, Carissa, and Dion followed close behind the boys and marched up the marble staircase without so much as a glance towards Jackie, but she didn't really care. With a flip of her hair, she continued on her way without a care in the world.

°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸

Lily entered the Hospital Wing to see Alex sitting up in his bed eating lunch, looking very pale and weak, but certainly better than yesterday. She rushed over to his side, completely forgetting about Sirius, followed by Dion.

"Alex! How are you feeling?" she inquired happily, taking a seat.

"Well, I've been better, but after seeing Sirius, I think I'm the lucky one… What happened?" he replied feebly.

"Oh yeah, Sirius…Well in one word… Jackie," she explained simply, remembering about Sirius.

"Ahh…," he said with a dawning of comprehension, "Nothing permanent, I hope…,"

"Nah… he'll live… I think…," Lily responded, a look of fright coming over her face. She got up leaving Alex with Dion, and moved swiftly over to where Sirius was lying, "He _is _going to be okay, right?"

"Of course! It's only a few broken bones. Nothing a little bit of wand work and potion can't fix," Madame Prose retorted.

Lily let out a sigh of relief and turned to see Remus standing right behind her, fully dressed and looking much better.

"Remus! How are you?" she cried in surprise.

"I'm fine, Lily," he replied kindly, "What happened to him?" he inclined his head towards where Sirius was lying.

"Jackie," she answered simply.

"Ahh…," he said nodding his head, "Nothing severe?"

"No… he'll be out of here in no time," she replied, smiling.

"That's good to hear…," he said, thinking of nothing else to say.

"…Why is it that every other day I'm up here with one of you boys?" she inquired irritably, looking around at the boys standing or sitting around the room.

"Um… Well, we never have been exactly tame… have we?" Alex stated, thinking.

"Yeah, Lils. You should know better than any of us that you can't keep us cooped up for long. We'll cause too much chaos," Caleb said, smiling at her.

"Hey! Lily!" came a shout from out in the hall. Jackie came into sight looking down curiously at a piece of parchment that was in her hand.

"Yeah?" Lily inquired confusedly.

"You… um… got an owl…," she said rather downheartedly. Lily took the letter from her hand, and examined it curiously.

"It's open…," she said looking at the broken seal.

"Yeah… I kinda thought that… well… you might want to read it," she said seriously, "And... Lily… Is there something you want to tell us?"

"No, why?" she asked looking at Jackie with searching eyes, trying to find a hint of what Jackie was talking about.

"Nothing… just read it," she said simply. Lily pulled the parchment out from the already broken seal and began to read…

_September 8_

_Witch,_

_Just thought you might want to know that Rose died yesterday. The funeral is in tomorrow. Dan says that you are to attend. The twins may come if they so wish. I suppose that I'll see you in a few days… unfortunately…_

_Reluctantly,_

_Petunia_

Lily read and re-read the letter several times in shock. As she looked up the tears finally began to well in her eyes.

"Lily? Lily, are you okay?" Dion asked concernedly.

"Lily? What's wrong?" Carrissa inquired as she approached her slowly.

James walked up, took the piece of paper from her as she broke down on Dion's shoulder, and began to read. His face grew stonier with every word. He finished suddenly and swung his head up to look at Lily with a look of angry confusion.

"What is it, James?" Remus inquired. James began to read the letter aloud, and everyone's face was drowned of all mirth and happiness.

"WHAT?!" Caleb hollered as he ran up and snatched the parchment from James' hand. He read the letter trying to absorb what was written.

"Caleb… It's… It's a fluke …right?" Alex inquired unsure, but the look on his brother's face was answer enough. He slammed his head back into his headboard frustratedly. Caleb sank into the nearest chair and held his head as though it suddenly weighed a ton.

"Umm… I hate to ask now, but… Who are Rose and Dan?" James inquired, confused but still angry.

Alex looked up suddenly, "We never told you?" James shook his head.

Alex took a deep shuddering breath and began, "Lily is only our half-sister. Our mother left when we were really little, and our Dad hooked up with her Mom… whose name is Rose. You all know that a little over 2 years ago our Dad died.

"Rose got remarried to a guy named Dan. He seems okay. We never deal with him much. He just kind of leaves us alone for the most part. But what I don't get is how Rose died… She seemed perfectly fine at the train station…," he finished bewilderedly as he returned his gaze to the opposite wall.

"… I guess you need to make the preparations as soon as possible?" Remus suggested gently.

"Yeah…," Caleb said softly, rising to his feet and starting out the door.

"I'll come with you…," Remus said as he followed him out of the doors.

There was silence for a few minutes. No one dared speak, for this place had become a place of mourning. Madame Prose came bustling back in with a bottle of potion. She looked upon the scene and her expression turned serious.

"It's only a few broken bones, people. He'll live!" she said irritably as she made her way toward Sirius and poured the potion down his throat.

He coughed and sputtered as he opened his eyes. He sat straight up as though waking from a bad dream and looked around the room.

"Well, it's nice to know that you would all be very sad if I died…," he began, "But I happen to be alive and well, here! Where's the butterbeer?! I survived Jackie's wrath!"

They all threw him looks of annoyance, but Jackie's was full of loathing.

"…Did I… miss something here?" he asked curiously, feeling quite out of the loop.

James walked over to him and whispered in his ear. His face was overcome with a look of comprehension, guilt, and sorrow. Just then, Remus came shuffling back into the room.

"Wow… that was quick, Remus," Alanna observed.

"Lily, Alex… Dumbledore would like to see you in his office," he responded in a soft voice.

"Why?" Lily inquired curiously, looking up at him from Dion's shoulder.

"I'm not sure, but he said as soon as possible," he replied.

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but I think you're missing one key point…," Alex said sarcastically.

"What's that?" Sirius asked full of curiosity.

"I can't move!" he retorted.

"Oh yes… that might be a bit of a problem…," Remus said, looking down.

"For goodness sake! Are you magical or not!?" Jackie interrogated, obviously frustrated.

"I'll conjure up a wheelchair and you can wheel him up there, okay Lily?" Dion suggested quietly.

"Yeah…," she sniffed, "I think that would be best…,"

A few minutes later she was on her way up to Dumbledore's office with Alex. She went up the stairs which were already out for them, and knocked on the door three times. It was answered by a grim faced Caleb.

"Hello Lily, Alex. Please, come in…," Dumbledore requested kindly. Lily wheeled Alex up and took the seat on his right, while Caleb took the one on his left.

"Now, as I understand it… There has been another terrible loss in your family. I am very sorry to hear of this, and I offer my condolences even though it doesn't really help at this point,"

Lily acted as if she hadn't heard, and continued to stare determinedly up at him.

"It seems that you need to get home tonight, am I correct?" he continued. Caleb nodded.

"I can arrange for you to leave by floo powder as soon as you are all packed. Does that sound good to you?" he proceeded. Alex nodded his head silently, looking at his knees.

"Very well then… you may go and get ready. Return here when you wish to depart," he said softly. They stood up and Lily took hold of Alex's wheelchair again and began to head for the door.

"Lily… I would like to talk to you alone for a moment, if you please," Dumbledore called warmly. Lily sighed and left Alex to Caleb and returned to her chair.

A minute after the door shut, Dumbledore spoke, "Are you all right?" he inquired kindly.

"I'm fine," she lied, looking at her knees.

"Lily… Is there anything you wish to tell me?" he asked, examining her closely.

She hesitated. Should she tell him? Now that her mother was dead, there was nothing to deter Dan from his fits against her.

"No sir…," she said firmly. There was a short silence before Dumbledore sighed.

"All right, then… You may go…," he dismissed, watching her with concerned eyes. She left his office and trudged up to her dormitory sullenly.

She entered the empty room and started packing some of her things back into the trunk. It had only been one week, and already she had to return to that horrid place. She rubbed her arms, remembering the bruises that had covered them so recently.

She shook her head and returned to her packing. She grabbed the picture that stood on her night-stand of her family… before the crash. Her Mom and Dad were gazing up at her, smiling. Petunia had her usual pinch-faced look on. Her brothers were looking at her with looks of mischief. Finally, herself. She was looking at her with a look of youth and naivety. The look she had obtained before all of her tragedy, but that was a long time ago. She placed the picture back on her nightstand.

She took the knife that her father had given her in case of emergency and tucked it safely into her pocket. She didn't know if she would make it through this time, and it would be much better to die quickly than to die slowly covered in bruises and agony.

She grabbed her trunk, locked it, and headed out of the door. She paused with her hand on the handle and turned to look back at her dorm, knowing that this may be the last time she would ever see it again, because Dan would surely not allow her to return. She turned and headed down the staircase. Her trunk was so heavy; as if all of Lily's fears and problems were tucked away safely inside of it. She reached the bottom where the twins were waiting for her.

"All ready?" Caleb inquired sadly. She nodded.

"Should we let the others know that we're leaving?" Alex asked.

"No… Dumbledore will let them know, and besides… it's not like we won't be coming back soon, right?" Lily said, attempting a smile, but it turned out like a grimace.

"Yeah… I suppose so…," Alex said gloomily.

"Well, we haven't got all day… Let's get going…," Caleb said, taking hold of Alex's wheelchair and heading out of the common room. Lily followed slowly.

They reached Dumbledore's office, where he was standing holding a jar of what looked like ashes out to them. They each took a pinch, stepped into the fire, stated their destinations, and spun into nothingness.

°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸

Lily opened her eyes to see her living room staring back at her in place of Dumbledore's office. Caleb and Alex were already heading into the hall, and the next thing Lily heard was an ear- splitting screech of terror.

Petunia had received a scare at the sight of the twins coming through the hall, past the kitchen. Lily rolled her eyes and started to follow her brothers. Then she heard Dan yell down the stairs, "What the Bloody Hell is wrong, Petunia darling?!" He came barreling down the stairs and stopped dead at the sight that lay before him. He looked drunk… no surprise.

"What the bloody hell are _you_ doing here?" he spat at them all, mainly Lily.

"Petunia sent us an owl that said that you required Lily's attendance at Rose's funeral, and that we may come if we wished," Caleb said firmly, "And we did wish to come,"

"Oh… that," he recalled, "Go get yourselves changed into something suitable. We're going to read Rose's Will in an hour,"

"I thought they did that after the funeral…," Alex said, confused.

"Well, not in our case! Now go get out of those things you call clothes!" he shouted irritably.

They all passed him on their way up to their rooms. Lily entered hers silently and began to grab her nicest black and white suit. She put on black tights and high-heels. She began to roll her hair up into a bun. She glanced at the clock that she had left behind. It was only 11:00 a.m. things had happened so fast. It wasn't even noon yet.

She stepped into her bathroom and brushed her teeth and applied her make-up. She went back into her room to put on her jewelry. She opened up her jewelry box to find it completely empty.

"Oh my god… she did _not_!" she whispered desperately. She had inherited those jewels from her mother and grandmother, as well as a few her father had bought for her. She knew exactly where they were, but she couldn't get them back now. They were Petunia's, now.

Lily grabbed the one thing that was left for her, her silver crucifix, and put it around her neck. She headed out of her room and down the stairs.

"About time! We need to go! Get in the damn car!" Dan yelled drunkenly at her. She obeyed, exiting the front door. Soon after, Alex and Caleb came out. Alex was leaning on Caleb. It seemed Dan had taken away his wheelchair.

"Hey Lily…," they greeted solemnly.

"Hi…," she said weakly.

"Have you noticed Dan acting different?" Alex inquired curiously.

"I think he's just sad about Mom…," Lily lied.

"Yeah… maybe…," Caleb consented.

Dan came out of the door followed by Petunia. He opened the door for her before moving around to the driver's side. He started the car, swung out of the driveway, and continued on towards the law office.

Once there, they followed the secretary into a room with three chairs and a desk. Dan and Petunia immediately occupied the two vacant seats for clients, leaving Alex to lean on Caleb and Lily.

An official looking man in a suit entered through a side door holding a piece of rolled up paper and took the remaining seat.

"Good day to you all," he said in his deep official voice, "I am very sorry to hear of your loss, Mr. Jones. I offer my condolences…,"

"Yes, yes, get on with it, will you?" he retorted impatiently.

"Of course," the man said, a bit taken aback. Clearing his throat, he unrolled the paper that he had carried into the room and began to read, "The last Will and Testament of the late Rose Jones…

"To my beautiful daughter, Petunia, I leave my precious jewels, ¼ of my life savings, my flowers, my linens, and my fine china.

"To my step-sons, Alex and Caleb, I leave 2,000 English pounds to split between the two of you.

"Finally, to my wonderful husband, I leave the rest of my worldly possessions and all of my love," he finished looking up.

"Wait… what about Lily?" Alex asked seriously.

"Yeah! What did she leave for Lily?!" Caleb questioned angrily.

The man looked back down at the paper, "There is no mention of any 'Lily'," he said.

"That's ridiculous! She must have left her _something_!" Caleb exclaimed furiously.

"ENOUGH!" Dan shouted, "Rose obviously didn't leave her anything, and that isn't going to change! Now please return to the car,"

Caleb glared at him and hauled Alex out of the door and down the hall. Lily turned and followed, not wanting to face Dan, holding back her tears with as much determination as she could muster.

"Lily…," he called before she reached the doorway, "Where do you think you're going?"

"I-I was… Just going to the… car…," she stuttered, turning to face him.

"Did I ask you to?" he inquired.

"No…," she answered.

"No what?!" he shouted irritably.

"No, sir…," she corrected softly.

"That's better… You will suffer for your disrespectfulness when we get back home, do you hear me?" he said firmly.

"Yes, sir…," she replied weakly.

"Now leave!" he yelled. She quickly turned and walked swiftly down the hall towards the exit.

"Lily, you okay?" Alex asked worriedly.

"I'm fine…," she lied. This was becoming a bad habit.

Caleb started to say something but stopped at the sight of Dan emerging from the building. They sat silently in the car all the way home. Only they didn't go home. Dan drove them to the orphanage and turned to address the twins.

"Caleb, Alex… you are no longer part of this family," he started, "I suggest you go start trying to find a family to accept you and your…abnormality… I will drop off your things tomorrow. Now get out of my car!"

"What the blood hell are you talking about?!" Caleb shouted irately, "Rose was as good our mother!"

"But she wasn't… And you are not to attend her funeral tomorrow. Now get out. Of. My. CAR!" he hollered angrily. With one last glare, Caleb pulled Alex out of the car and watched them pull out of the parking lot before entering the building, scowling.

'Oh Merlin… I should never have come back. Now there's no hope of me ever escaping… Good-bye friends. I'm sorry,' Lily thought to herself miserably.

As soon as they parked in the driveway, Dan came around and yanked Lily out of the car and pushed her in front of him.

…_so it begins…_

He told Petunia to get dinner started and proceeded shoving Lily into the house.

He grabbed her wrist with a grip that cut off her circulation, and dragged her up the stairs and slammed her into her room.

"Now _wench_! You will pay for your disrespect this afternoon!" he shouted, advancing on her. He grabbed her by the throat, "And this time, there's no one to stop me from having my way…," he muttered insanely, grinning like the true madman he was.

He slammed her back up against the wall. He took one hand and grabbed her hair and forced her head to slam into the wall repeatedly before throwing her across the room in a fit of rage. Lily was so dizzy that she didn't have time to prepare for his next move. He bent down next to her and pulled her head up to face him by her hair.

"Now it is time…," he said softly.

He grabbed her cheeks and pulled her face up to his and forced her lips to meet his. He forced his tongue into her mouth with fury and desire. Without a seconds hesitation, she bit his tongue, causing him to jump back, howling in pain.

Lily was in shock. He had never attempted to kiss her before.

"You little _WITCH_!" he cried lividly grabbing her arm and pulling her up. She swung on the spot and didn't even attempt to dodge the punch Dan threw against her cheek that split her lip. She prayed that it would end soon, that she would just die before it got too bad, but she had left her knife in her other jeans. She didn't know how much more of this she would have to live through until that wonderful, relieving moment when it all came to an end.

There was a rustling downstairs and the sound of muffled voices. The next moment there was a stomping up the stairs and down the hall. The next moment, Lily's door was opened to reveal a figure(s) standing threateningly in the doorway.

* * *

Editors Note: ... WTF. UHHHHH. I NEVER KNEW ANY OF THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE I ONLY EDIT WHEN SHE'S DONE!? OH GOD, this killed me. THIS KILLED ME! ;; I'M NOT EVEN AN HP FAN. MUCH LESS A LILY FAN. -smacked- Okay, done with caps lock now. Uhhhhhh. Sorry. Just... COMMENT. IN CAPS LOCK IF YOU MUST. I SURE AS HELL AM. -smacked again-

A/N- Yes… I don't usually tell people what happens in my story... Not even my editors. I just let them find out for themselves as you did. Interesting, huh? Or not? Tell me in a review. I personally thought it got a bit cheesy towards the end but that's just me and I'm just incredibly self conscious and self critical. No, this does not mean the end of my story. I accidentally created a whole other theme to run along with this story so I will go with it for a while and maybe think of another by accident… or not. Who knows? I don't. But I do know for certain that this is not my last chapter or my next to last chapter… By far…I hope…

Anyway! Review and I'll talk to ya'll next chap! -Sincos.is.the.Bomb-


	8. Chapter 7: Secrets

_**Hello readers! This chapter was alos worth the wait and it is my longest, being a length of 18 pages.**_

_**All of the credit is not mine, though, since my good freind Max wrote the last two pages. They also helped write parts of chapter 6. Coincidently, both parts that she wrote in chapter 6&7 are about Jackie and Sirius since they are their favorite charecters and Jackie happens to be fashioned after them. All of my charecters are fashioned after some of my real life freinds, although it was completely by accident.**_

**_Max just wanted to say 'Hi'_**

* * *

**_Chapter Seven_**

**_Secrets_**

There was a rustling downstairs and the sound of muffled voices. The next moment there was a stomping up the stairs and down the hall. The next moment, Lily's door was opened to reveal the twins standing threateningly in the doorway.

"Lily!" Alex cried rushing over to her, as fast as his condition would allow, and in the same instant, Caleb was upon Dan, wand out and fuming.

"Who the fuck do you think you are- Kicking us out, messing with Lily?! You BASTARD!" Caleb shouted in his face. Dan seemed too afraid to move.

"Are you okay, Lily?" Alex inquired worriedly helping her up and examining her.

"Y-yeah… I'm fine…," she replied looking down.

"I'm going to give you to the count of three to explain what's been going on today…," Caleb muttered dangerously narrowing his eyes and pressing his wand deeper into Dan's throat.

Dan choked and said, "I owe you no explanation,"

"The hell you don't! After all we've been through today, I want to know just what in Merlin's name is going on around here. What the fuck is wrong with you!?" he retorted angrily.

"Maybe you should ask her…," he choked, his gaze turning to Lily. Alex's and Caleb's followed.

"What is he talking about, Lily?" Alex inquired with a confused look on his face. His look was mirrored by Caleb.

"I don't know…," she replied, although she thought she might have some idea of what he wanted her to say.

"Go on, wench," at this Caleb jabbed his wand particularly hard into his throat, "Tell them what's been going on for the past three years…,"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Caleb muttered through clenched teeth.

"No!" Lily shouted suddenly, although she didn't know why she was doing it, "Don't hurt him…,"

"Lily? What are you saying?" Alex asked with concern and anger.

"After what we just witnessed? After all that happened today?" Caleb inquired incredulously. Dan flashed a smile and a wink.

"We can take him Dumbledore… Dumbledore will be able to question him far better than us…," Lily reasoned. Alex and Caleb exchanged looks and shrugs.

"Alright Lily… We'll take him to Dumbledore," Caleb consented before turning back to Dan, "You got lucky. Lily saved your arse… or maybe she condemned you… we'll see soon enough,"

"Should we send a Patronous ahead of us?" Alex questioned.

"Yeah… or else we might be stuck outside the gates for a while…," Caleb answered slowly.

He backed up, pointed his wand at Dan, muttered, "_Incarcerous_," and "_Wingardium Leviosa_," Soon Dan was wrapped in ropes and floating down the hall in front of Caleb who was carelessly directing him so that he bumped into anything and everything. Alex and Lily followed him down the stairs where they were met by a scream from Petunia.

"Should we take her along, too?" Alex questioned, looking at petunia with a look of exhaustion.

"I don't see any particular reason why…," Lily responded blandly.

"Okay, Petunia… We're taking Dan here to see a friend of ours, but we should be back soon… whether we like it or not," Alex explained to the petrified girl standing in the kitchen.

Caleb continued out of the door and plopped Dan onto the ground so he could grab his ropes and apparate. Alex and Lily left the premises, and Lily took hold of Alex's hand so that she could direct him since he was still weak.

They popped in front the gates that lead to the castle. They saw a billowy figure heading down the lawn towards them. Dumbledore was moving surprisingly swiftly for his age. He pulled out his wand as he approached the gates and began muttering counter-curses. He pushed the gate open to allow them entrance.

"Dumbledore! Hav-," Caleb began, but was cut off by Dumbledore placing a finger to his lips.

"Shh! Not here… Wait until we are in my office…please…," he requested, although it was more of a command than a request.

They made their way up the lawn and through the castle, up into Dumbledore's office.

"Now…Who would like to explain first what brings you back without even have been gone for 24 hours?" Dumbledore inquired, taking a seat and gesturing that they should do the same… they left Dan tied up on the floor in a corner. Lily looked at the wizard's clock… had it not even been 24 hours yet? It seemed like days! Yet it was only 6:00 on the same Saturday that she had received the letter.

"I suppose I will…," Alex said softly. Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, prepared to listen.

"When we got home, Dan told us to get changed, that we were going to read Rose's Will. We went to the law firm and when the Will was read to us, Lily's name wasn't mentioned. We went back to the car and he drove us to an orphanage and kicked Caleb and me out, saying weren't part of the family anymore,"

"Caleb and I walked to the local park. We both agreed that something was up. We apparated to the house, and went inside to find Petunia cooking some dinner. Dan and Lily were nowhere to be seen so we ran up to Lily's room to make sure that she was okay. When we got there, Lily was on the floor with a split lip, and Dan was standing over her with clenched fists. I ran over to help Lily and Caleb took Dan. He told us to ask Lily about what was going on, but she didn't seem to know, so we came to you," he finished solemnly, his expression showing his anger and sorrow.

"Lily…," Dumbledore addressed softly, "Do you know anything about this?" She thought hard for a moment, before finally shaking her head. Up until this point, she had just been staring blankly into space, not taking in a word of what Alex said.

Dumbledore moved around his desk to face Dan. He untied him and said, "Do you admit to these accusations, Daniel Jones?"

"Are you kidding me?! Those accusations are nothing more than lies! Lies made up by some worthless piece o-," Dan started, but was cut off by Dumbledore's raising of his wand.

"Do not ever… address my students as such again…," he said slowly and clearly. He waved his wand, causing Dan to wince in fright, but all he did was cast the '_Legillemens_' spell. A flood of memories flashed before him.

He recognized one of Lily and Dan in a room with Lily badly bruised leaning up against a wall as Dan threw another punch at her, slamming the back of her head into the wall and nearly breaking her jaw.

Another where Petunia was scorning Lily and Dan was watching with pride.

One was of Rose patching up some of Lily's cuts and worse bruises when Dan walked in and became infuriated at the sight.

One where he was beating Rose… She was lying in the floor, bruised and broken when Dan started kicking her in the side furiously.

There was another of Lily and Dan in a room, only Lily was not very bruised yet. Lily was slammed into the ground then yanked up by her hair and forced to meet Dan's lips.

Dumbledore ended the incantation. He had acquired what he needed. He moved silently back around his desk, taking a seat to face Lily with sadness in his eyes.

"Lily… why did you not say anything?" he asked quietly. She looked up suddenly with fear and urgency and sadness in her expression.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.

"Yeah Professor… what _are_ you talking about?" Caleb piped up confusedly.

"Lily… it's been three long years. I've always been here. Why didn't you confide in me?" he inquired again sadly. There was no way around it this time. She knew that he knew about it…

"…I…I was scared…," she whispered breathlessly, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Lily, what is he talking about? What's going on here?" Caleb asked more pressing than his twin. She looked at him with a tear-stained face.

"I'm sorry… I didn't want to worry you… It wasn't all th-that b-bad…," she said softly. She was trying so hard not to cry… to be strong.

Thankfully Dumbledore took over for her, "Ever since your mother married this man, he has been beating Lily and your mother," Lily looked up suddenly at him.

She had never known that Dan had beaten her mother, too. She should've seen it. Her mother was always trying to help her, which made Dan livid. It should've been obvious that she was beaten, too; the way she always wore long sleeves and tons of make-up. Lily felt incredibly oblivious, but suddenly it was all starting to come together.

She became aware of her surroundings again by the twins reactions.

"WHAT!" they shouted out angrily in unison.

"Lily, why didn't you ever tell us?" Caleb asked more calmly, but in a rather hurt tone of voice as he got down to her level and draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Lily… you should've let us know. We could've put a stop to it…," Alex added quietly.

"I wanted to… more times than you know, but always… his voice would resonate in my mind… making me think twice… I could never bring myself to do it…," she admitted softly, staring at her knees.

Alex looked up at Dumbledore, "Is that why? Is that the reason she's dead?" Dumbledore nodded gravely.

"There's something else they should know, Lily… would you like to tell them? Or would you rather I did it?" he inquired concernedly.

She looked at him with fear in her eyes, "No," she stated firmly, "They don't have to know…,"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid it is their right to know…," he replied solemnly.

"What else? What else could there be now?" Caleb asked confusedly. Lily shook her head urgently at Dumbledore.

He sighed and continued, "This evening, by my reckoning, Dan did more than just throw Lily around a bit…," he paused as Lily threw her face into her hands, "He forced her to kiss him… if you hadn't walked in, I'm sure that he would've done more than that," The twins just sat there in shock and awe.

"That's bullshit…. I've never heard a bigger pack of lies in my entire life. I always knew you wizards were crap," Dan spoke up suddenly.

"If you wish to deny the claims, I'm afraid I already have enough evidence to land you in a cell in prison for a very long time," Dumbledore stated calmly, yet threateningly. He had a gift for those sorts of things.

"It don't matter. I don't give shit no more. You can kill me now and I'll be happy… please… do…," he said cockily.

"I assure you, I am using self restraint right now, and I am sure the boys are, too," he said smoothly, turning back to Lily, "I take it you haven't told your friends either?"

She shook her head, "I never told anyone…,"

"You should… at least let your friend Ms. Lyons know… as I understand it, she has become your best friend since your falling out with Severus?" Dumbledore advised.

"Snivellus!?" Caleb inquired indignantly, "You mean to tell me that Lily was friends with _Snivellus_!?"

"His name is _Severus_ and yes… I do," he replied more firmly, "As I was saying… you should tell Ms. Lyons. She would want to know. It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to let some of you other friends know… but it's up to you,"

"What are you going to do with Dan?" asked Alex expectantly.

"I have a plan for Daniel Jones… I will inform you of it when the time is right. For now, you may return to you dorms and I will send some house elves to your place to fetch your trunks,"

"Alright, Professor. Goodnight," Caleb said, standing up and helping Lily out of her chair.

They left the office in silence with Caleb hoisting Alex by the arm. They entered the common room, which was half-empty, and saw three girls standing in the corner gossiping and glancing out of the window occasionally. One of them saw the three enter and let out an almighty shriek.

"LILY!" Alanna cried, rushing over to her and giving her a great big bear hug, followed by Dion and Carrissa.

"Lily, why are you back so soon? We didn't expect you back until Monday," Dion asked incredulously.

"It's a long story… I'll tell you later," Lily answered, "Where's Jackie?'

"Quidditch try-outs were tonight," Carrissa explained, "Sirius, James, Jackie, and Remus are all down at the pitch,"

"Why Remus?" she asked confusedly.

"He went to watch and cheer on his mates," Alanna replied smugly.

"Oh CRAP! That's right. Quidditch trials…. How long ago did they start?" Caleb inquired critically.

"Only a little while ago. They're still on the first trial,' Dion answered calmly.

"You aren't going are you?" Lily questioned, rounding on the boys, "Alex still isn't back up to full health yet, and look at today! You aren't going, right?"

"Of course we are, Lily! We have to defend our spot on the team!" Caleb retorted obviously.

"Besides, Just because I can't walk on my own doesn't mean I can't fly. Thankfully Quidditch doesn't involve much walking," Alex added reassuringly. It didn't work as much as he would have liked, but Lily let them go reluctantly anyway.

Lily trudged back up to her dormitory followed by Dion. She laid down on her soft bed and stared at the canopy.

"Lily?" Dion addressed quietly, taking a seat on her own bed next to Lily's

"Why does it seem like every other minute, someone's calling my name out?" Lily inquired somewhat playfully, somewhat serious.

"You know you're the center of attention. Everybody loves you and wants to be your friend," Dion teased. Lily smiled a small sad smile.

"Lily…," she said again, suddenly serious, "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Yeah…," Lily replied.

"What happened?" she inquired concernedly.

"Who ever said anything happened?" Lily attempted to feign.

"Lily… I've been your friend, the person who you fall back on, the person who helps you up, the person who's there when you need a friend, the person you can confide in," she said seriously, "I think I know you well enough to know when something is wrong,"

Lily thought for a moment. Dion was right, and so was Dumbledore. She deserved to know.

"Dion… promise me you won't tell anyone? I'm not ready for everyone to know yet," Lily said, rolling over and sitting up to face Dion properly.

"Of course…," Dion said softly and Lily began to fill her in on all of the missing pieces that she had kept hidden away from the world for so long.

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Meanwhile, down at the pitch, Caleb and Alex were rushing onto the field, ready to defend their positions on the team.

"Hey guys! What are you doing here?!" shouted James from higher up.

"Same thing you are! Defending our posts!" Caleb shouted back. James and Sirius flew over to them.

"I thought that you went back home until Monday?" Sirius said solemnly.

"We went back home, but we had to return due to unfortunate circumstances which we will explain to you later," Alex replied.

"OI!" came voice to their left, "This isn't social hour! Get back in your positions!" It was Gideon Prewitt. They did as they were told, dispersing to their various places.

"Alright, chaser try-outs! Mount your brooms!" he called to the figures on the ground waiting patiently for their turn to try-out. Jackie mounted her broom and took off followed by three or four contending flyers.

"First, I want to see how fast you can fly, then we'll test your dodging ability, and finally your scoring!" announced Gideon to the crowd of flyers.

"Don't hurt yourself now, Jack! Remember if you need me… I'm right here," Sirius said playfully while Jackie threw him a look of contempt, "I assure you, Black, that I will not need any of _your_ 'assistance',"

"Ready… Sirius, stop harassing the new guys! Set…GO!" Gideon called. Jackie took off down the field with amazing speed. She led the flyers by a good five feet and reached the end of the pitch in record time, even Sirius was impressed.

"Good run! Very good run!" shouted Gideon when the rest of the flyers had caught up, "Now, Black, Longbottom, Potter! Act as opposing chasers so we can see how well they dodge. Evans! Get ready to hit some bludgers!"

They all positioned themselves at the opposite end of the pitch from the new flyers, and got ready to soar.

"I'll go easy on you, Jack!" Sirius taunted.

"Oh please…" she muttered.

"Ready… Set… GO!" he called, and it was like spitfire flying through the air as fast as grease lightning.

James moved and took down the first contender with one blow. Caleb knocked another off of their broom. Longbottom took the third out with a simple maneuver. Alex took out the only other one besides Jackie.

She had dodged James, Frank, and two bludgers. The only one left was Sirius. He flew straight for her and made to close-line her, but she ducked. He flew under and around her so that he was in front of her again. He stopped suddenly, catching Jackie by surprise. She quickly recovered and flew around him to the end of the pitch.

"Good job everybody! Now we just need to see how well you score. Line up in front of the goal posts please!" He shouted as he took his position to defend the hoops.

The first flyer scored 1 out of 3. The second scored none. The third scored 3 out of 3. The fourth scored 2 out of 3.

"No pressure, Jack!" Sirius called sarcastically.

"Shut you face, bloody bugger!" she retorted, taking the quaffle.

She took her spot in front of the posts and threw. One down, two to go. No sweat…

She caught the quaffle thrown to her a moment later and threw it at the posts. Two down, one to go. No pressure…

She took careful aim and threw the quaffle as hard as she could towards the goal posts. Gideon leapt for it. He was so close to it, now… and it slipped through his fingers. She had scored a perfect!

"Great job everybody, but as you know, I can only pick one of you," Gideon said flying over to the contenders, "Smith!" he called, she came forward, "Head to the locker rooms and find the pair of robes that fit you best. Be at practice tomorrow,"

Jackie nodded and made for the locker rooms. She was so happy she could fly, which funnily enough, was why she was happy. She didn't think that she had much competition, but the last part of the trial had begun to worry her.

Sirius looked at James incredulously and flew over to Gideon.

"Did I hear you right?" he inquired disbelievingly, "Did you just choose Jacqueline Smith?"

"Yes, Black, you heard right,"

"And you're sure you're felling alright, mate?"

"Yes, Black," he replied irritably.

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The rest of the trials passed without much happening. They all trudged back up to the Common Room, ready for a good shower.

"Merlin! What smells like wet dog!?" Alanna cried out suddenly as they entered without her notice. Sirius perked his head up a bit, and began to sniff his hands and his hair while James watched with an amused expression on his face. What's so wrong with wet dog?

"Maybe the Quidditch players?" Carrissa answered pointing towards them.

"OH!" she said, turning red, "Sorry… So how did the try-outs go? Did you make it, Jackie?"

"Yeah…," she answered, "Speaking of which, c'mere Sirius…," He looked at her with wide, fearful eyes, but inched over to her nonetheless. She smiled and slugged him right in the jaw.

"OW!" he cried, rubbing his mouth and standing up straight again, "What Was That For?!"

"For calling me 'Jack'…" she replied, moving away, "And now I'm heading up to bed. 'Night all. Pray that I have a good sleep or Sirius may not survive. On second thought… pray I have a bad sleep," They watched her retreating form and turned back to one another.

"What does she have against me?" Sirius inquired indignantly.

"Trust me… If we told you, we would be here all night reciting the list and you would wish that you hadn't asked," Carissa said solemnly.

"She actually has a list?" James asked interestedly, Carrissa nodded, "Wow, mate, she must really hate you…" Sirius gave him a look that clearly said 'gee-thanks-for-the-support'.

Jackie entered the dorm to see Dion and Lily discussing something quietly.

"Um… sorry to intrude, but I'm going to bed now. You can pick up your conversation then. Nobody will hear you and neither will I," Jackie offered smirking.

"No, it's okay Jackie… How were trials?" Dion inquired interestedly.

"Okay… I made chaser…" she replied, moving over to her trunk and pulling out her black, fleece pajamas.

"Congratulations!" she said happily, "Did anyone lose their position?"

"Nope, but Sirius almost lost his life… no surprise,"

"What'd he do this time?"

"The usual…"

"No shocker there…"

"So what were you two talking about, anyway?" Jackie inquired curiously.

"Why I'm back so soon…" Lily replied, speaking for the first time.

"Yeah… the twins mentioned that to the boys and said he'd tell them later,"

"Yeah… well, you see…"

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The boys made their way back up to the dorms, and began getting ready for bed.

"So anyway… why are you back so soon, Jumeaux?" Remus asked curiously.

"Hey! does this mean that Lily is back, too?" James added.

"Yeah, Prongs… about that…" Caleb began slowly.

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Lily woke up that morning with the light from the window shining in on her face from the crack in her curtains. She climbed slowly out of bed and looked around the dormitory. Everyone, including Alanna, was still sleeping.

She walked over to her trunk, which had been brought in during the night, and pulled out some clean robes. She changed silently and made her way out of the dorm and into the Common Room. She guessed that, no doubt, the curfew was still in effect so she settled down in the armchair watching the world from the window.

It was a beautiful day; the sun peeking over the tops of trees to say hello to the world.

The sky was a cloudless blue broken by the occasional flight of early birds.

The lake was clear and inviting, its stillness broken only by the intermittent jumping of fish or mermaids and the tantrums of the squid.

The grass was so wonderfully green with the new fallen dew surrounding Hagrid's Hut, where he was surely still asleep.

How much Lily longed to be out there in the peace of the world and nature… to become one with the cycle that was Earth.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, descending the spiral stairs. She turned to see Remus, fully dressed, groggily stepping into the Common Room.

"Good morning, Remus," Lily greeted, making him aware of her presence there.

"Oh! Good morning, Lily… didn't see you there," he replied turning to see her sitting in the armchair, "Did you sleep well?"

"Would I be up this early if I hadn't?" she questioned.

"Oh, I suppose not… I didn't sleep much either," he said yawning.

"Can't get back to sleep again?" she asked understandingly.

"Yeah…, something like that" he responded, plopping down on the couch, "So how are you doing?" he asked compassionately, even through his grogginess.

"They told you?" she guessed.

"Yeah… I couldn't believe it, and I wouldn't have if they didn't look the most serious I've ever seen them look," he admitted sadly.

"I'm doing fine…," she said, half truthfully, "It isn't like it hadn't happened before. Well, except for …that. It's not like I'm going to let it rule my life…," she said, more to herself than to Remus.

"That's probably the best way to handle it…," he replied, staring into the ashes of the fire that was no more.

"So, Remus… I noticed that you transformed early this month… Is anything wrong?" she questioned seriously.

"I don't know, Lily… we've been trying to figure that out ourselves," he said thoughtfully.

"Do you have any leads?"

"None that make sense so far…,"

Then it struck Lily like a slap in the face. That night that she had patrols!

"Of course…," she muttered quietly.

"What?" Remus questioned interestedly.

"Remus, that night I had patrols, I overheard something in the Great Hall. Did they tell you?" she said suddenly.

"No… what happened?"

"I heard Severus, Rodulphus, Narcissa, Regulus, Lucius, and some other character discussing some plan. I didn't get to hear all of it since I came in late and was almost discovered, but I heard enough," Remus listened intently.

"The first thing I heard was someone asking, '_-sure you saw them heading down before nightfall, Severus?' _I couldn't think of what it meant at the time, but now… now it makes perfect sense! They were asking if Snape had seen you and Sirius go to the Whomping Willow too early, and on the wrong date! It all makes sense now! If only we could know what they're up to.

"Apparently it involves Bellatrix because they said, '_Oh, this is just the perfect time for Bella to get expelled'_ and that Lucius and Rodulphus would have to make up for her absence, that they had no time to lose, and that it wouldn't please the Dark Lord at all,"

"Lily… this isn't good. That was four days ago… who knows where they are in the plan now?" Remus said gravely.

"I know… but it's the best we can do for now," she replied seriously.

She turned her head again to see Alanna descending the stairs… that meant it was time for breakfast.

"Oh, hey Lily! You're up early," she said moving towards her.

"Yeah… Hey Alanna, Come help me wake the others up,' Lily said standing up, "Remus, you go wake up the guys. We'll meet you at breakfast,"

"Alright, Lily," Remus said getting to his feet.

Lily grabbed Alanna's wrist and dragged her up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

"Wake up, everyone!" she shouted upon entering. She was greeted by groans, snores and a pillow in the face.

"Now I fully appreciate your job…," Lily said, looking round at Alanna, "Dion! Carrissa! Jackie! You need to wake up! I have something important to tell you!"

"Go Away!" came Carrissa's voice from under her pillow.

Lily moved over to Dion's bed, while Alanna took Carrissa.

"DION! Time To Wake Up!" she shouted in her ear.

"Blimey! Lily, you don't have to blow my eardrum!" Dion cried jumping off of her bed in surprise.

"Someone's cranky in the morning…," Lily observed playfully while Dion stood up and grudgingly began to get dressed muttering something about 'sleep' and 'you think?'

Lily rolled her eyes and moved over to Jackie's bed, prepared for a beating of sleepy proportions.

"Jackie! You have to wake up!" she shouted, tearing open her curtains to let in the light that was now fully over the trees.

"Bloody Hell!" she shouted in return, jumping up to pull the curtains shut, "Merlin, Lily! What do you have against a good night's sleep?!"

"On the contrary, it has something against me," she said thoughfully.

"And you wonder why…." Jackie said scathingly, rolling out of bed, trying to avoid as much light as possible.

"Hurry up, we need to get down to breakfast. Remus and I have something to tell you and the Marauders," Lily said looking Carrissa pulling out her robes while Jackie crawled towards her own trunk.

"What? Are you two going out or something?" asked Jackie, irritably.

"NO!" she shouted, offended, "We figured something of great importance out, and we want to tell you all at the same time,"

"Is this a 'we' or just 'you'?" asked Alanna, moving over to her.

"Well… I decided, but he's in on it, too," she said sheepishly.

"Mhmm," Alanna said sardonically.

"C'mon Ladies!" she called to the now dressed girls as she headed out of the door.

They trudged down the Grand Staircase and into the Great Hall dazedly. They took seats opposite of Remus and his gang of walking zombies.

"Aren't we the lively bunch this morning?" said Dion playfully. It earned her several looks of disdain from the boys. Jackie plopped down on the bench with a crash which was followed shortly by a resonating _**BANG!, **_which was her face colliding with the surface of the table, and from beneath the curtains of hair you could hear deafening snores.

Sirius looked about to mess with her head again, but as his head got closer to hers, Jackie raised a finger and pointed it threateningly at him.

"Don't. Even. Think. About it," she said, causing him to wince and back away.

"Jackie… I really need you to listen up for a minute, please. You can sleep right after, I promise," Lily pleaded. Jackie looked up and glared at her, but did as she asked anyway.

"Thank you…now, ladies…Remus has something he would like to tell you before I begin," she said giving Remus a meaningful look.

He suddenly paled, "Lily, surely you don't-,"

"Remus, please, they have to know, and I can't tell them unless you tell them the truth first," she begged.

"Remus… is this about your furry little problem?" asked James curiously.

"Yes, James," he replied, not looking at him.

"Lily! No! You know he can't!" he cried desperately at her, getting to his feet.

"How does she even know?" asked Sirius stupidly.

"I was the first student to ever know… even before you guys," she explained, "Remus, I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't think it best,"

"Lily, what's going on here?" asked Carrissa.

"Remus… please," she pleaded, ignoring Carrissa.

"Remus, don't do it," advised James.

"Stop it, Potter! Do you think I would ask him to do it, knowing the risk, if I didn't know it was best?! I happen to be smarter than that!" Lily said, losing her temper with him.

"What good can come from it?! You'd destroy him! No one will think of him the same way again!" he retorted.

"You did! It didn't change your mind about him to know!"

"It isn't the same! We were already best mates, and we only wanted what's best for him! We were-!" he shouted, but Remus cut him off.

"James! Quit it…"James looked at him with desperation, but he continued, "I'll tell them. Lily's right,"

Lily gave him a look of understanding and thanks. James grudgingly took a seat and crossed his arms.

"Okay… you four have to promise never to tell anyone," Remus said, all of the girls except for Lily nodded.

"I am a …" he began slowly, then whispered, "Werewolf,"

Alanna, Dion, and Carrissa gasped. Jackie just looked bored.

"Jackie! Doesn't that shock you?" asked Alanna stupidly.

"No… that's old news," she said in a bored voice.

Everyone looked at her oddly.

"You mean you knew about it?" inquired Caleb, speaking for the first time.

"No… but I had a pretty good idea," she replied, "And it turns out that I was right. What else is new?"

Sirius scoffed and muttered, "The fact that you were right about something, maybe?"

"If I wasn't so tired right now, I'd strangle you," she retorted sleepily.

"Anyway…, now that that's taken care of, I need to tell you all what Remus and I discovered this morning," Lily interjected before Sirius could respond.

"Remus! How could you!?" James shouted, shocked. Remus was taken aback.

"You know, Lily? I'm not sure we really want to hear about any escapade of yours…with anyone," Jackie muttered tiredly, "So can I go back to sleep now?"

"No! It's nothing like that! Perverts!" Lily shouted, offended, "Its something to do with Remus' condition and what I overheard the night that I had Patrols,"

A dawn of comprehension crept over all of their faces, except for Remus of course.

Lily lowered her voice, "Okay… This month, Remus transformed a bit early, as the boys and I already know. But the oddest thing was that the next night, when I was doing my Patrols, I overheard someone say, '-_sure you saw them heading down before nightfall, Severus?' _and some people with questionable reputations talking about some plan and 'the Dark Lord',"

"What are you saying, Lily?" asked Alex confusedly.

"I'm saying that the people I overheard talking knew about Remus and the fact that he was transforming too early. They talked about it like it meant that something had begun… like it was their cue for something,"

"So you think that they planned this?" asked Dion.

"Essentially… yes," she replied, glad that they were catching on.

"And what do you want _us_ to do about it?" asked Jackie irritably, "What's the catch?"

"There's one catch, but we have to stop them! Who knows what will happen if we don't? It's already been four days, and they sounded like they had to act quickly," she responded desperately.

"Alright, Lily… we'll do it," said Carrissa consolingly.

"Speak for yourself…" Jackie mumbled, plopping her head back down onto the table.

"JACKIE!" they all shouted, stunned and angry.

"Relax! Geez!" she said pulling her head back up, "I was only joking,"

They all let out breaths of relief.

"Well, how are we going to stop them? We don't even know what they're up to," James asked seriously.

"Walk up to them and ask, of course," Sirius kidded.

"Be serious," Lily said exasperatedly.

"The one and only, love!" Sirius cried, grinning broadly and leaning back in his seat.

"Well if you have a desperate death wish, then yes! That would be the best course of action," Dion said before Lily could.

"But the last time I checked, you valued your 'beautiful' head more than that…," Jackie added derisively, a sly smirk on her face.

Sirius threw her a look of utmost loathing which she returned with a smirk and a meaningful twist of the head.

"Well that still doesn't answer my question," James interjected, "what are we going to do about it?"

"The only thing we can do for now is watch them very closely, and make sure that none of us go off alone. Use the buddy system," Lily said sadly.

"You're saying that the only thing we can do is wait?!" Jackie said disbelievingly.

"Yes…,"

"Lily, you know I'm not good with the whole patience thing. Remember the last time you told me to wait?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid that can't be helped now. It's our only option," Lily replied, "Unless you have a better idea,"

"Yeah! Just take them all out now and get it over with!" she shouted irritably so people started to turn to look.

"Raise your voice a little, Jack. You know, I'm pretty sure VOLDEMORT didn't quite hear you!" Sirius said in an exasperated whisper.

"Jackie…," Caleb said for the first time, trying to calm her down, "I know this isn't what you would want to happen, but it's the best course of action for right now. When we know more, then the plan may change, and you very well may get to take them all out at once… but until then… please, please try to stick to the plan,"

"Since when are you my shrink?" she inquired scathingly, but taking a seat all the same.

"So it's decided, then?" Alanna piped up.

"Yeah…," Remus said slowly, "It's decided,"

"Good, because I promised to meet Caradoc by the lake right after breakfast," and with that, she jumped up and pranced out of the Hall.

"She's actually going out with that Git!?" Caleb exclaimed, fuming.

"Apparently so…," Lily said in a low voice, "At least that Jonathan Fennerly took the hint and is keeping his hands to himself," James tensed.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…," Carrissa said warningly, "Just because you haven't had any classes with him since you blasted him across a room doesn't mean that he won't try it again this week. Just watch your back,"

"Yeah, and tell us if he _does _get up to anything," James said threateningly.

"Don't worry, James. I'm in most of the classes that she has him in," Remus said, patting James on the back, although he didn't look exactly comforted.

"Well, as much as I would _love _to stay and chat," Jackie started sarcastically, "I have other matters to attend to,"

She got up and exited the Hall, thankfully not prancing.

"I do, too," Sirius said, standing up.

"Like what?" Caleb asked astonished.

"Personal affairs," he replied as he started walking away.

"He's going after Jackie…," Alex said blandly.

"It's his funeral," Dion said impassively, shrugging.

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"Hey, Jackie!" Sirius shouted, running to catch up to her on the Grand Staircase.

"What do you want, Black?" she asked, not turning around or slowing her pace.

"To talk to you!"

"Not in the mood, Black!"

"I don't care. I'm going to talk to you anyway,"

She rounded on him, "Go. Away,"

He looked her straight in the eyes, "Sorry, mate!" he said in a jovial voice.

"UGH! Black! Why can't you just leave me alone!?" she asked exhaustedly.

"Because I said that I want to talk to you," he replied stubbornly.

"NO!"

"What's wrong? What do you have against me? What's bothering you?" he inquired curiously.

"YOU ARE!"

"One question down…," he ticked off one finger, "Two to go,"

"AGH!" she cried turning around and proceeding up the stairs once again.

"Where are we going?" he queried, following her again.

"WE are not going anywhere! Now go Away!"

"No," he replied simply.

She stopped abruptly and turned slowly to face him and said in a soft voice, "What did you just say to me?"

"No," he repeated in the same simple voice.

"You don't say 'no' to me…," she said in a dangerously low voice.

"I believe I just did," he replied, appearing not at all threatened.

"No… you don't say _'no'_ …to me," she repeated her voice still lower as she approached him slowly.

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked in a deadpan voice.

_**SLAM!**_

_Scrabble, Scrabble!_

_Roll, Roll, Roll!_

_**BANG!**_

"_Oww!"_

"That…," she said with a smirk, looking down on the crumpled Sirius lying at the bottom of the stairs. She turned on her heel and continued on her way.

Sirius looked up groggily as her form vanished from view. New energy of loathing but determination filled his aching body and he jumped up vigorously, "Oh no you don't! I'm not done!"

Jackie sighed as she continue to strut, "Ugh… It never ends!"

Sirius caught up with her rather quickly saying that he just fell down a flight of stone stairs, but he didn't look cocky anymore, but pretty hateful, "Why do you have so many bloody issues with me?!"

She rounded on him once more, "Because! You're cocky! You're perverted! You're ignorant! You're annoying! You won't leave me the hell alone! You have cheesy pickup lines! You're an insolent jackass! You have no life! And your so conceited about your looks it's sickening!"

"Is that the best you can do?" he shouted back, folding his arms.

"If I said anymore I'd send the innocent 1st years to therapy!" she yelled before turning back around and storming on.

Sirius continued to follow with his temper rising, "Why are you always a bloody jerk to everybody? But it must be great to be you huh?! Perfect life but no, you had to have these stupid issues anyway! Well it's not as great for everyone else, have you ever thought of that?!"

Her pace quickened while she clenched her fists, "Shutup Black! You know nothing about me!"

"That may be true but it doesn't mean you have to be a twut to everyone who cares about you! You don't have it half as bad as I do!" he roared after her with flames in his eyes.

She whipped around to face him, "Oh! Is that so?"

"Well! I would think so! Born into a Slytherin family that I want nothing to do with! How do you think I feel when I go home for the summer each year?! You think I'm actually happy about it?!" he answered brutally.

"Don't talk to me about family you insensitive little schmuck! I don't much care about your thoughts of your family!" she shouted, her body tense.

Sirius stood his ground, "Insensitive? Where do you get that theory you bloody hypocrite?! Besides, what about your family Smith?! There couldn't be anything wrong with them now could there?!"

"Don't call me a hypocrite Black!" she screamed infuriated, "And don't talk about my family! You don't know anything about them!"

"Well, why not then? How come you never talked about your family! You have no bruises; nothing that says you have a life like Lily's! Why are you keeping _your_ life so private?!" he asked with determination, "Let me guess! Your… Dog died! Not it? How 'bout another? Err… You have a sibling that was deceased. No? Okay… How 'bout… You don't get along with your mum? C'mon Jack am I getting hot or cold; I need a hint here!"

"Shutup Black…" Jackie growled lowly.

"So, what's the big secret Smith?! I can't get through this without a little help." Sirius exclaimed with raised eyebrows.

"My parents ignore me." she confessed through clenched teeth.

Sirius body tensed in shock as the fire in his body was swept away. His parents hated him, but at least they acknowledged that he was alive. What must it be like to go home and not even exist? To have no one care about you?

"I don't really have a home. Never had friends. Brother died when I was 2. My parents blame me. That's the big secret. Happy now? I told you. Now maybe you can live your own life and maybe you could let me live mine." Jackie explained in a cracked voice as she turned to leave, "Maybe you'll be able to be happy now."

Sirius only stared as she left. He never knew, but yet he wondered… Did Lily know about that?

* * *

**_Hi again! So was it worth the wait? Send your thoughts to me or 7-hemphisisdragon-7 who can be reached from my favorite authors. They have a wonderful Kingdom Hearts fanfic going so you might want to check that out if you're into it._**

**_So Review! And I'll see you next Chapter!_**


	9. Chapter 8: Hugs and Kisses

_**Um... yeah... sory it took me so long to post this chapter. I had it 90 done, but I just was too lazy to finish it. Anyway, I hope you all like it!**_

_**As always, props to my co-author of this chapter, 7-hemphisisdragon-7, and my editor, Prince the Ripper! Thnx guys, I could never do this without you!**_

_**Oh, I had it pointed out to me twice that during this chapter, the reader could not identify Vesuvius. For all of you out there who don't know your history, Vesuvius is the name of the Volcano that erupted and covered the ancient city of Pompeii with toxic ash and dust. If you still don't understand, you're online, go look it up.**_

_**So now that that's over and done with, Read and Enjoy! Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought about the chapter!

* * *

**_

Chapter Eight 

_**Hugs and Kisses**_

Lily walked around the lake opposite of where Alanna was making goo-goo eyes at Caradoc. Summer was coming to an end, and the chilly weather was moving in. She sat down by the edge of the lake, just watching the choppy water and letting the wind blow her face.

As she admired the beautiful landscape, she wondered if she even deserved to be a part of it. She felt so dirty and meaningless since she had come back from her parent's house. She put on a good act for her friends, but she wasn't really okay. True, it could've and would've been worse if the twins hadn't shown up, but it didn't change her feeling of filth.

She was looking at the reflection of the sky in the water when she heard footsteps behind her. She didn't turn or acknowledge the person's existence, but just sat there, waiting and staring. The person took a seat beside her; she still didn't turn to them.

"Lily," said the voice softly. She knew that voice very well, but still didn't turn her head.

"Yes?" she responded impassively.

"Are you okay?" asked the voice concernedly.

"That's a rather stupid question, don't you think? But what else am I to expect from someone like you, James?" she retorted. She knew she shouldn't have been so derisive, that he only wanted to know if she was all right, but the only way she could hide herself was by acting cruel.

"What's wrong?" James asked, ignoring her comment.

"A lot of things, but nothing you can help with," she replied, a bit more calmly.

"Try me," he said softly.

"Okay… maybe the fact that I was nearly raped yesterday; that might be a factor. Or maybe it's the part where Remus is potentially in mortal danger, but no that can't be it. Possibly it's the detail that my mother just died, and, if that isn't hard enough, she left me absolutely _Nothing_! ...like she didn't care about me at all.

"Then again, it could be that my step dad has been abusing my for three years and in one day it all stopped and he's going to be put on trial! Perhaps it could be point that I just found out that Dan killed my mother! Maybe that's it! You tell me, James!" she shouted desperately.

They stared at each other for a few moments.

"You tell me," she repeated, much softer this time, her voice cracking.

All of the sudden, she broke into hysterical sobs as James wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"Lily. It's all going to be alright now," James said softly, "You have people who care about you here. You won't have to go through this alone. We'll be right here for you. I'll be right here… always,"

Lily looked up at him with searching eyes, as though looking for some veiled intention in his eyes; some backwards meaning.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked hesitantly, "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Well…," he joked, smiling down at her, "Let's say it's half and half. It's the truth! But it was also meant to make you feel better," he smiled warmly down at her.

She giggled slightly and sent James' heart soaring. He had never been able to make her laugh unless it was to his demise. Yet here she was giggling at something he had said. It filled him with a sense of pride.

At the same time, the thought of what she was doing clouted Lily in the face. What was she doing here, sitting and laughing with James Potter, her mortal enemy? Before she really had time to react to the thoughts and senses returning to her, she instinctively looked up into James' wonderful hazel eyes with a confused and blank face, and almost like a natural reflex, lifted her hand and slapped him across the face.

She hadn't realized what she'd done until it was over. It all happened so fast, but it was as if the force of her slap echoed in herself, reinforcing her senses. She scrambled up in a muddle, bustling about in a clutter. She began to pace, thinking over the events that had just occurred. This was so screwed up!

As she turned on a round of her pace, she saw James pushing himself up, holding his reddened cheek. In normal circumstances with a normal person, Lily would usually have made a fool of herself with apologies, trying to help the person. But this was no ordinary circumstance, nor an ordinary person. It was James Potter, her worst enemy, which called for unique handling.

She marched straight up to him, as he was dusting himself off, and threw her finger in his face, as she had so many times before, waving it around.

"What! Do you think you were doing?!" she yelled, causing some people to turn and stare in interest.

"Um… comforting you in your time of need, maybe?" he said, watching her finger warily.

"Seducing you mean! That's all you are! That's all you'll ever be! A Womanizer!" she cried angrily.

"Well, though, for once, I didn't mean it to come out that way… If that's how it made you feel… I knew you couldn't deny your feelings for me forever," he grinned peevishly.

"Shut Up, Potter!" she hollered irritably, "You're nothing but a pervert!"

"Really? A moment ago you said I was a womanizer, and always will be," he mocked, "So if, according to you, I am nothing, and shall always be… then it seems to me that you are indecisive; a bad trait in a fair young maiden such and ye-self. But no bother, I am willing to overlook-eth ye's pitfall," he made a mock bow.

"UGH! I HATE YOU, JAMES POTTER!" she screamed in frustration, "I DESPISE YOU WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING!" The crowd of onlookers recoiled in fear, although James seemed quite comfortable. At least for now he didn't have to sweep his hair to make it look windswept.

"Wow, Lily! Bottle it up a little more and I think we really could've had a Vesuvius! At least now the world knows of our valiant love affair," James mocked, smirking, "I always knew I was connected to your being,"

Lily balled her fists in anguish. She would've reached for her wand, had she not left it in her dormitory when she left to take her walk. She compensated by raising her fist, and making it collide firmly with the side of his face, which was still red from her slap. He was knocked backward a few steps, and stayed bent over, staring at the ground in shock for a few moments.

"Did…did you just… punch me?" he asked bewildered.

"That's right. Consider yourself lucky this time, Potter," she snarled before turning on her heel and marching back up to the castle in a furious rage.

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Meanwhile…, in the Library, Dion was snoozing in a back corner, Remus was studying, and Carrissa was pretending to study as she gazed fondly at Remus who seemed to not notice her stare.

"Hey, Remus…," she said softly.

"Mhmm?" he replied, not looking up.

"…nothing," she said, thinking better of asking him the question.

He continued to read, and take notes under the watchful eye of Carrissa. A few minutes later, she spoke again.

"Hey, Remus…," she said again.

"Yes…?" he said, still not looking up at her.

"You know how you told us about…. Your problem?" she inquired hesitantly.

He looked up interestedly, "Yes…,"

"Is… is that why you were in the Hospital Wing last week?" she asked.

"Yeah," he confessed, "I've never had Dragon Pox in my life,"

"I figured…," she said, smiling, "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"How would you react if I walked in on the first day and told you what I was?" he inquired, setting his book down on the table.

"Well...," she hesitated, thinking her answer over carefully.

"Exactly…," he said, turning back to his book, resolutely.

"Remus, I didn't mean that," Carrissa pleaded, but Remus just ignored her.

In a split second, Carrissa's desire overcame her rationality. She leapt from her chair over to Remus, abruptly took his face in her hands, and pulled his lips to hers forcefully, catching him off-guard. Before any time at all had passed, Madame Pince and her vulture-like features had swooped down upon them.

"This Is A LIBRARY!" she said, fuming, "Not a Broomcloset! Get Out! Get Out! Shoo!"

She swept them from the library before they could protest, slamming the door in their faces. Remus turned to look at Carrissa who had an innocent look on her face. Moments later, the doors cracked open slightly as Dion was sent flying into the corridor before the slammed shut yet again.

"Thanks, guys," she said sarcastically, rubbing her backside and she stood up. Remus and Carrissa just grinned at her as they made their way down towards the grounds.

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After her incident with Sirius, Jackie ran off. She had gone to the North Tower outcrop, and was now wondering if it was the best choice to tell Sirius about '_that_'. She hadn't even told Lily about it, so what crazy whim made her spill it to him!?

It was pure insanity to tell him, she knew that now. In the morning, the entire school would know all about it. And he thought he had it hard. At least he was acknowledged. At least his brother was alive. At least the only thing he was blamed for was being in the wrong house.

She had kept quiet all these years. Even when he was complaining and telling about how he moved out, she kept her silence. So why now had she cracked? Was it the pressure? Was it the yearning to not be alone anymore?

Whatever it was, it didn't matter now. The damage was done, and she had better go make sure that that little lying, two-faced, arrogant, son-of-a-… didn't tell anyone else. It was her secret, and now it was his.

She marched in the Common Room five minutes later. It was empty except for Sirius; Everyone else was on the grounds.

"Black," she stated waltzing into the room, and over to him.

He looked up immediately, "I thought you wanted me to leave you alone to live your life,"

"I do, but before you do, I want you to promise me that you'll _never_ tell a living _soul_ what I told you, because _you_ shouldn't even have heard it," Jackie demanded forcefully.

"Then why _did_ I?" he asked.

"Because it slipped! You were getting on my nerves, I was under pressure, I wanted you to shut up, and it slipped!" she confessed.

"Okay then…," he said slowly, "Does Lily know?"

"No, you're the only one I've ever told," she said, looking away.

"Oh…," Sirius said, "Why haven't you told her?"

"Why didn't she tell me about Dan!?" Jackie retorted.

"I don't know, but she should've, right?" he inquired.

"Just promise me, alright!?" she pleaded desperately.

"Sorry, but I can't do that. She's your friend and she has a right to know, as do Dion and the others, but I won't tell them," he replied apologetically.

"Of Course Not! Sirius! You have to promise me that you won't tell Lily! You aren't even supposed to know! She can't do anything to help me anyway!" she beseeched.

"Jackie, I can't promise you. I know she probably can't do anything, but she has a right as a friend. You aren't doing her any favors by keeping it from her," Sirius tried to explain regretfully.

Jackie balled her hands into fists, ready to punch him, but instead she stood up and walked calmly out of the Portrait Hole. Sirius sighed as he watched her leave, and made his way slowly up to his dormitory.

Jackie strode through the castle heatedly, looking for Lily. If she was going to find out, then she would tell her… not Sirius.

She searched everywhere. The Library. The Dormitories. The Great Hall. Classrooms. Broom closets. Towers. Everywhere! She was about to give up hope when, as though fate was striking a generous hand in her journey, she ran into James Potter on the Grand Staircase.

"OI! YOU! With the face!" she called, and was surprised, almost pityingly amused, when he turned at the third call. She was more surprised to see that he had ghastly bruise on the side of his face.

"Four Eyes, have you seen Lily around?" she inquired, ignoring the mark.

"Um… yeah," he said slowly, almost resentfully.

"Or would she be the reason for the fresh goose egg on the side of your face? Though, I must say, it is a definite improvement. Not saying there isn't still room for progress, but hey, with a little magic and voodoo-," she teased, as though taking out her own torments on the boy, but was cut off by his words.

"Jackie, enough. If you're done, I'll just go on back to the Common Room," he said softly, without his usual gusto.

"I'm not done! You said you saw Lily. Where was she? I'm asking you because you're her stalker," she said more seriously.

"I don't know," he replied simply.

"What do you mean you don't know?! You always know!" she cried in frustration.

"I mean I don't know. She ran off," he explained dully.

"What about that stupid map you created with the guys in third year and think no one knows about?" she asked, almost desperately.

James' interest was suddenly sparked, however little, "But… How do you-?"

"DETAILS! We'll tarry with them later," Jackie said with an innocent grin, "Just hand over the damned thing!"

James pulled the parchment out of his robe pocket with a wary eye on Jackie as he handed it over. She snatched it out of his extended hands greedily, then turned and ran down the Grand Staircase in an 'Igor'-ish manner, leaving James in her wake.

She opened the parchment as she ran, muttering the password. She scanned the map thoroughly in pursuit of Lily, but she was nowhere to be found. Jackie thought it must be a fluke as she scanned it again, even more closely yet still could not see her anywhere on the map!

She paused on the stairs, thinking of the possibilities. Either she was using some unplottable spell, or she was outside of Hogwarts boundaries, which was a laughable thought of the prefect.

"Well, if she is using some unplottable spell, then finding her will be nearly impossible since I haven't already. The only other explanation… no… it's impossible… then again…," Jackie muttered to herself, then set off at top speed for the nearest secret passageway to Hogsmeade.

She tapped the statue of the One-Eyed Witch and said, "Dissendium," She crept into the passageway revealed by the statue, and hurried down the path towards Honeydukes.

It was dark and dank, but on she went with a lit wand for what seemed like forever until she finally reached a slope. She climbed the slope until her head hit something hard and moved it. She cursed and, holding her head in pain, raised her wand above her head.

It was a cellar tile. She put her wand in her pocket and began to push as hard as she could, upwards. She raised the tile above the floor level and set it aside so she could climb out. She replaced the tile, and made her way, silently out of the store without any notice of the owners.

Once on the main road, she walked into every store, looking for Lily. She didn't think that she would be there, but you could never be too sure. She reached the Three Broomsticks. Walking up to the barkeeper, Madame Rosemerta, she ordered a butterbeer. After paying, and taking a good look around the crowded pub, she set back out on the road, butter beer in hand.

She merely peered into Madame Pudifoot's, because Lily would probably not go there, and there was no way in hell she was going inside that house of horror. Once establishing that Lily was not inside, she set off on her trail once more. She walked into the Hogs Head, tossed away her butterbeer, and walked up to the barman, whom she was friendly with, after many boring Hogsmeade visits.

"Hey there, Jackie," he growled.

"How ya doing, Ab'?" she replied.

"Business is slow, as usual, but I'm getting along," he answered, "You?"

"I'm looking for Lily Evans. You haven't seen her skulking around anywhere, have you?"

"Your red-headed friend?" he inquired, glancing down the bar at a hooded figure who was shaking its head, "No, sorry,"

Jackie sighed, "Well, I guess I'll just have to tell her later. I just hope Sirius doesn't get to her before I do,"

"What's going on, Jackie?" he asked interestedly.

"Nothing… I'll take a Firewhiskey," she said, tossing over her coins to the barman. She had been drinking Firewhiskey since third year, but it was only available for underage wizards from here.

"Been a hard day, huh?" he inquired as he fixed her drink.

"You have no idea…," she muttered.

She looked down the bar at the hooded figure. She had long since learned that meddling in a hooded person's affairs was unwise, so she merely made polite conversation.

"Hey, what brings you here?" she asked of the figure.

"My feet…," was the only answer she got as the person took a swig from the bottle in front of it.

"Ah… You wouldn't happen to know a Lily Evans would you?" she asked.

"…Sorry, can't help you," said the figure in a scratchy voice, not looking at her.

"Oh well… I'll find her sometime," she said, taking her drink from the barman.

"Why do you need to find her so badly, anyway?" asked the figure, still not looking at her.

"What business is it of yours?" she retorted.

"Sorry…, didn't mean to pry, just curious," said the scratchy voice monotonously.

"Ah, don't think on it. It doesn't really matter anyway… not anymore. Sirius has probably already unleashed hell in an unsuspecting redhead…," she said hopelessly.

"You never know…," said the figure, "I wouldn't give up if I were you. I'd keep looking. She might just turn up,"

"Yeah… thanks," Jackie said thoughtfully, taking another swig.

"Another piece of advice… If you want to find your friend, look closer rather than farther… and stop drinking that Firewhiskey before you start to think that Ab' here is Lily," said the hooded person.

"Good point… but what's that supposed to mean? Closer rather than farther?" she asked confused.

"The answers people seek are often closer than they think. You'll figure it out… you're a smart girl," the figure said.

"Then why are you here, if you know how to find the answers?" asked Jackie interestedly.

"Not all answers are so close…," the figure said, tossing some coins to Aberforth and standing to leave, "I'll see you 'round… Jacqueline Smith,"

Jackie's head whipped around to the doorway as the door closed behind the figure. She looked back at Aberforth with confusion in her eyes.

"How… How did that person know my name?" she inquired urgently.

"Dunno… smart person, that… sad life… Maybe he used Occlumency," the barman suggested.

"Who was that, anyway?" she asked more calmly.

"I was asked not to say," Aberforth said simply.

Jackie got up; pushing away her Firewhiskey, "I'll see you soon, Ab'," With that, she exited the pub, and made her way back up the main road towards Honeydukes. It was already dark outside, and she wondered about Lily's whereabouts and about the hooded figure.

She sneaked through Honeydukes, and trudged back up to the castle. Exiting the passageway at the statue, she began traipsing back up the stairs to the Common Room.

She approached the corner on the third floor and was knocked clean over. She looked up to see the blunder twins.

"What in the name of Merlin?!" she said irritably.

"Oh, hiya Jackie!" said Alex, standing up.

"Fancy running into you here… literally," Caleb said, grinning.

Jackie rolled her eyes as she accepted an extended hand from Alex and stood up, dusting herself off.

"Where've you two been?" she asked, looking back up.

"Hospital Wing-," Caleb started beaming.

"Terrorizing Madame Prose," finished Alex, also grinning impishly.

"I'm not going to ask…," Jackie said resolutely.

"Where are you headed?" asked Alex curiously.

"Common Room…," she said, eyeing them closely.

"Really? Us too!" Alex said cheerfully.

"Allow us to escort you, madam," Caleb finished, equally as cheerful, holding out his arm for her to take.

"Um… no," she said simply, starting up the stairs again with two boys now in her wake.

She put up with their foolishness all the way to the Common Room, which was showing great patience on her part. They entered the Common Room to see Lily walking towards the Girl's Dormitory, and Sirius coming down from his own.

"Hey, Lily!" he called rushing down the rest of the stairs, "Can I talk to you?"

The entire Common Room looked at him curiously; James with jealousy; the twins with confusion. Jackie, however was thinking, 'Oh no he doesn't!'

"Thank you, Sirius! For holding Ms. Evans up for me, but I'll take it from here," Jackie said, sending a sly grin at a confused Sirius, but he backed away anyway.

"C'mon Lily. I need to talk to you… somewhere private," she said softly.

"Um… now, Jackie?" Lily asked imploringly.

Jackie looked at Sirius who shrugged and walked over to the couch, but kept an eye on things from his seat.

"You know what?" Jackie began, but re-directed her statement, "We can talk about this later. Whenever you're ready,"

Lily thanked her and moved up the stairs to the dormitory. Jackie turned back to the Common Room, the inhabitants of which had gone back to their own affairs, except Sirius who sighed dejectedly and looked away.

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Remus trudged back up to his dormitory sullenly. It had been a long day. He had woken up at 5:00 after all. He entered the cluttered dorm, and immediately wished he hadn't. Feathers enveloped the dorm, thicker than peanut butter. Through the fluff, he could hear the yells and laughs of his friends.

He sighed, "So it begins…,"

He closed the door and bravely dived into the feather wall. So began 'Remus and the Quest for the Sacred Trunk'. He literally dived in the feathers, and upon hitting the floor, did a somersault, standing up right next to James.

"Resistance is futile; Give into thine fate," James said brandishing his pillow.

"'Tis nothing more disgraceful than taking orders from fools," Remus retorted humorously.

"Very well. If thou shall not join me willingly, then I shall smite thee down by force!" James called.

So came his first opponent, and he was defenseless. James sent a headshot flying his way. Remus ducked, causing James to trip on his own momentum, giving Remus the advantage. He stood up and caught the pillow that came flying at him through the sea of down from an unseen foe. He swam through the fluffy ocean, leaving James behind; defeated.

He was stopped by Sirius calling to him, "Your defenses are strong, worthy foe, but not strong enough,"

"Your words do not frighten me, oh admirable opponent," Remus said, narrowing his eyes.

"Enough of words. Now the real battle…Begins," Sirius said, charging at him with his pillow raised above his head.

Remus belted him in the stomach, causing him to flip over by his own force. He rolled and bounced back up, ready to take his revenge on the werewolf. He ran at him, pillow at the ready. Remus side-stepped him, and he went crashing through the barricade of down.

"You fought a worthy battle, inadequate foe," Remus called to him as he plodded through the feathers.

"Don't be so humble… you aren't that great," called Caleb's voice in front of him.

"You have it all wrong. It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am," he responded.

"Prepare to face your demise," he said as Remus approached.

"Your feathers are useless against me, commendable fiend," Remus taunted.

"Perhaps…," he said, stroking his chin.

"Then it is time to… (Dramatic pause)… Double the Force!" said Alex stepping towards his brother's side from the feather wall.

Remus responded saying, "Dramatic Gasp!"

The twins came at him, pillows raised. Remus managed duck between them, so they missed him completely. He turned and saw them come around for a rebound on either side. He was thinking like grease lightning. They were getting closer every second. His time was up! It was now or never! He jumped as high as he could, and managed to grab onto the edge of some unseen object. He hoisted himself just out of their reach just in time to see them, with no time to change their course, collide brutally.

He leapt down, over their bodies sprawled on the ground, and ran towards his prize. He reached it, opened it up, pulled out his wand and said, "Evanesco!" All at once, every feather swirled through the air and into Remus' wand revealing the mess of the dormitory that seemed to have intensified during the mêlée.

James looked around him, his pillow hanging limply at his side, "We really need a house elf…,"

"Any elf but mine, mate," Sirius added solemnly.

"Yeah… seriously," James agreed, trudging through the clutter towards his bed.

"Okay… Tomorrow you guys are cleaning this place up. Geez, it's only been a week" Remus said decisively.

"What about you?" asked the twins indignantly.

"How much of that stuff looks like mine?" he inquired skeptically.

"You're a member of this dorm, too!" James said in protest.

"Yes, and I happen to be the only one who cleans up after myself," he retorted, "Good grief,"

"Ugh… fine," Alex said as he moved over to his own bed.

"This is screwed up," Sirius muttered dolefully.

"You're screwed up," James joked, although it was true.

"Hey! Just because it's true doesn't mean you have to say it!" he retorted, mocking gloom, "Gosh…,"

"Okay guys… Let's go to bed now, please? We have classes again in the morning, remember?" Remus reasoned, pulling out his pajama pants from his trunk. The others agreed and began pulling their own night things out.

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Alanna awoke early… as usual, and… as usual, started to wake the others.

"GOOD MORNING, HOGWARTS!" she called like an entertainer to a crowd.

All of the girls lifted their heads and looked at her strangely. A second or two later, Jackie hurled her pillow at her… as usual, but this time it was to make sure she was still sane.

Alanna ducked under the flying pillow and groaned, "C'mon Ladies! We have to get ready for school!"

"Alanna… shut up and wake us _after _you've eaten breakfast," Dion said irritably, thrusting her head back underneath her pillow.

"Seriously…,"groaned Jackie, tossing her sheets back over her head with a _**Flump!**_

Alanna shrugged and exited.

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Lily awoke with the sun on her face a little while later. She looked at the magical watch that had been given to her last Christmas. As she comprehended the arrows and numbers, her eyes flew open and she began to panic.

She jumped up and shouted, "OKAY! You Need To Wake Up! NOW!"

"What's the rush, Lily?" Dion mumbled.

"What's the rush? I'll tell you what the rush is. We Are LATE!" she hollered, rushing over to her trunk and flipping it open.

"C'mon, Lily. We've been late before and made it on time," Carrissa said, stretching.

"No. We aren't_ going_ to be late. We _ARE_ Late!" she explained, changing hurriedly, "Class started FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO!"

At that, the two other girls leaped out of bed and rushed to get ready.

"What's all the hustle about?" Jackie groaned, rolling purposely off of her bed, "We're already late… let's take our time. It doesn't matter anymore,"

"Jackie! I'm a PREFECT!" she yelled in frustration rushing over to the mirror to throw her make-up on.

"_You _are. _I'm_ not," Jackie said as she pulled her trunk open from her spot on the floor.

"Fine! Be as late as you want to! I don't care if you show up at all! Just don't say I didn't warn you!" she said irritably, as she hurried to get her things together.

"Okidoke…,"Jackie said contentedly as Lily rushed out of the door, followed by Dion and Carrissa at different intervals.

"Prima donnas," she muttered once they were all gone, and began lazily pulling on her robes.

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Lily rushed into her Transfiguration classroom in a blur.

"Ms. Evans! I had not expected this sort of thing out of you," Professor McGonagall said sternly, "Ten points from Gryffindor,"

"Sorry Professor," she muttered taking the only empty seat, which just so happened to be next to her favorite Ravenclaw… Jonathan Fennerly.

"Hello Evans…starting to show your bad side are you? I like it," he whispered in her ear.

She groaned and took out her parchment, quill, and wand.

"Using the silent treatment, eh? Harsh… but not harsh enough," he continued, trying to be seductive as he moved his chair closer to hers.

An irritated Lily rounded on him saying, "Fennerly, I could care less about you right now. Just keep your bloody hands to yourself. I don't feel like sending you through a wall today,"

"I see how it is, but you can't deny it forever, love. You know you love me," he breathed in her ear, draping his arm around her chair.

Lily grabbed her wand and pointed it at him threateningly, "I _mean_ it, Fennerly. Hands. Off,"

Meanwhile, there were two pairs of eyes across the room watching the whole scene.

"Alright… if he tries one more time, I'm taking him down," James muttered.

"James, don't get yourself in trouble when Lily can obviously take care of herself and tell the teachers why," Remus advised, turning back to his notes.

"Excuse me! As I see that more of you are interested in talking amongst yourselves," Professor McGonagall said irritably, "You shall learn this lesson from the book tonight for homework, and write me an eighteen inch essay on its contents!"

"Aww! Minnie! C'mon!" James called.

"Detention, Potter! Tonight with Mr. Filch, in the Trophy Room. You know the drill," she said sternly.

James rolled his eyes. He was in detention so often that he didn't really care anymore. Maybe he could get Sirius or the twins to do something to join him!

The entire class turned their books to the chapter, and began trying to get their homework done.

"So what do you say, Lily?" Jonathan whispered, "Go out with me?"

Lily's head spun around so fast it popped her neck, "No! Fennerly, I have no interest in you, whatsoever!" she breathed, heatedly.

"Sure… that's right. You like that Potter idiot," he taunted.

"I do not! Like Potter! But I say that I would probably choose him over you! And I wouldn't take him if it was a choice between him and the Giant Squid, as he very well knows!" Lily fumed.

"Yeah… you two sure looked cozy yesterday," he ridiculed.

"Fennerly, I am really losing my patience with you! Potter was hanging around me, and I yelled at him, if you would recall! Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get back to my work!" she whispered furiously, but as she turned back to her book, the bell rang.

She gathered up her things quickly and furiously, and raced for the door where she was met by James and Remus. She groaned desperately at the sight.

"That's the way to greet your long time friends, yup," James teased.

"Long time friends, my arse," Lily muttered, pushing past them.

"So… Lily, I was wondering-," James began, grinning. Remus sighed.

"No, Potter," she said, cutting him off, "Nice to see you have your usual annoying optimism back…,"

"Oh, you missed it?" he asked hopefully.

"I was being sarcastic," she said dully as she entered the Great Hall.

James just shrugged as he took the seat next to Alanna.

"Excuse me," came a small voice from behind Lily as she took her seat.

She jumped and spun to address the voice. She was beginning to feel like a top with all of this spinning she was doing. "Yes?" she greeted, surprised.

"Are you Lily Evans?" said a small girl in about the second year.

"Yes, I am. Why?"

"Professor Dumbledore asked me to give this to you," the girl said, holding out a scrap of rolled up parchment.

"Oh…Thank you," Lily said as she began to unroll the letter.

_Lily,_

_I have scheduled Daniel's hearing in the Ministry of Magic courtroom 260- Domestic Violence Division- on the 21 of October. You will, of course, be required to attend, as will your sister and brothers._

_I will accompany you, and testify on your behalf. If you have any questions or problems please come see me personally, and I will sort them out._

_I am very sorry that this must be done, but it's for the best._

_Wishing you the best,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Lily re-read the letter several times in shock and relief. It was finally going to be over. She would never have to go back to that insane man again. She was free. She could have screamed for joy! Instead, she dropped the letter, staring into space with a dazed look on her face.

"Lily?" said Caleb's voice, "Lily, what is it?"

"Who is it from, Lily?" asked Dion.

"What's it about?" Alanna inquired.

"Lily, are you alright?" Alex asked concernedly at the draining color in Lily's face.

"Blimey! Why are you interrogating her when the letter is right there?!" Jackie said irritably snatching up the parchment and reading it aloud.

The others sat there in shocked silence for a moment after Jackie had finished before-

"YES!" shouted Alex happily, punching the air.

"It's over, Lily!" Caleb exclaimed.

"We never have to go that jackass again," Alex said.

"Lily?" whispered Jackie concernedly, seeing that Lily had still not shown any reaction to the news, but had stayed staring at the same bowl on the table since it was ripped from her hands.

"What?" She started abruptly and replied not too convincingly, "Oh! Yes, yes... I'm fine!"

"Oh, okay! Then you were just staring at the bowl on the table because it had a cute bum then?" Sirius joked, smiling. It got a few laughs from the boys, but they were quickly hushed with smacks from the ladies.

"Of course, because everyone knows how extremely attractive I find fruit bowls," She replied seriously, with a grin. This seemed to lighten the mood slightly.

"Is anyone else hot?" Lily asked, fanning her face with her hand.

"Well, I wasn't supposed to tell you," Sirius chimed, "But I saw the orange pitcher down there giving you 'the look' earlier on," he teased, waggling his eyebrows.

"Lily, are you feeling alright?" Dion asked, feeling her forehead, "You look pale,"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she feigned, standing up, "It's just a bit stuffy in here. I think I'll get some fresh air, if no one objects,"

"I OBJECT!" Sirius hollered, slamming his fist down on the table like a gavel.

Jackie kicked him under the table, "Shut up. No one cares about you. You're adopted,"

Lily smiled faintly as she turned to leave.

"Are you sure you don't want one of us to join you?" Alanna inquired concernedly.

"I'm fine. Really," Lily stated, "I'll be in class,"

Without another word, Lily turned and took off at a brisk stride. She began seeing strange shapes and objects swimming across her vision as her balance wavered. She quickened her pace, desperate to get to the door and out of sight of her friends before something serious happened. That was all she could think about; getting to the door.

It was a pull; a determination. As if when she crossed the threshold the shadows would somehow disappear. Then the other half of her wanted to stay where she was and figure out what exactly these strange creatures were. She realized that, in a room full of people, no one seemed to be reacting to the shadowy things. She looked around, and the room was empty. She called out to her friends.

"Jackie?" she waited… no answer. She turned around and called, "Dion?!" …again, no answer. "Alanna! Carrissa!" …still no reply. She began growing more desperate as the shadows closed in around her. "Remus! Sirius!" she called out frightfully. "Caleb! Alex! Where are you?!" No one responded. She spun around, ready to make a break for the door, but the way was closed off, and the shadows were sweeping and flying closer and closer, locking her in, and with them came a strange rattling sound.

"JAMES!" she cried in desperation and fear. "Make Them Go Away!" she yelled, tears slipping down her cheeks. She fell to the floor in the fetal position, sobbing hysterically. The shadows came so close that they were almost touching her, the noise growing ever louder. She covered her head and cried in one last desperate attempt to free herself from the clutches of the strange shadowy creatures, "**DAD! JAMES! JACKIE! DION! **_**MOM**_**! Help Me! Please! Please, Help Me!!**"

The noise grew unbearable, and the figures moved so close that they had blocked all light and were now smothering her. Her breath grew labored and raspy. Just as she thought she could hang on no longer, she felt a slow sinking sensation. It was as if she were slipping off the edges of the world into this great black abyss. She was free falling through darkness. She screamed, but no one heard her. There was only herself. Not even the strange shadowy creatures seemed to be there. She was overwhelmed by a wave of emotions. For now, the terrors had stopped, but from here there was no way out, and she was all alone with no idea if or when the terrors would begin again. She curled up into a ball and began to cry.

* * *

_**So? What did you think of it? I already have Chap. Nine started, but no promises on an upload date. Ironically, last night I added the last page to this chap. after forgetting it for a couple months. **_

_**Sorry again guys for the late posting, but I hope I made up for it with this chapter.**_

**_Did I? Or didn't I? Tell me in a review!- until next chapter- Auf Wiedersien! Sincos.is.the.Bomb_**

**_P.S.- also... someone reviewed and asked me about my section markers. I didn't make them up myself, and no if it is erased I cannot duplicate it. I admit that I saw it somewere else and stole it from them because I thought it was pretty. So feel free to steal the one on my page if you so wish. I promise I won't care._**

**_Okay now really- Review and Good Bye!Sincos.is.the.Bomb!_**


	10. AN

_**Hey Guys! Thanks for reading my story! I'm really sorry for not updating in…For.Eve.Er!**_

_**However at this point in time I happen to have a LOT going on in my life.**_

_**I promise to update as soon as I get my life straightened out, but since I don't know when that will be I wouldn't hold my breath.**_

_**If one of you reading my story is interested enough that you want to continue it in the meantime, feel free to do so.**_

_**Please just end me a message so I will know. Then I can post a note on here letting everyone else know to check it out.**_

_**I promise I will continue it, I just don't know when.**_

_**So until then…**_

_**I'm really sorry people. Please don't hunt me down and murder me! XD**_

_**Your repentant author,**_

_**Sincos**_


	11. ANN

**_Hey guys! Just wanted to get on and fill you in. I've got some good news and bad news._**

**_Good news-_**

**_I'm sorting my issues out, so that means I'm getting back into the writing swing._**

**_Bad news-_**

**_I re-read my story and decided i hated the plot. It's so dark and badly-written. so I'm discontinuing it. I'll leave it up in case someone decides that they want to read it when they're really really bored, but i will most likely not update again. I'm sorry for anyone I've let down by doing so, but I have some more good news._**

**_Good news-_**

**_I've been writing a new story and i like it better. The plot is brighter and, for the most part, better written. I should be posting it within the next week or two, so be on the lookout for an update if I'm on ur fav. authors. I just have to sort out a few things, and send it to my editor for... well... editing :D._**

**_Herer's an unedited excerpt-_**

"Lily, are you going to leave us again?" a sweet child's voice asked sadly.

A sixteen year-old loped gracefully over, scooped up the small seven-year-old girl, and sat the girl on her knee as the child's twin sister stood next to them, looking up intently at the redheaded young woman.

Lily Evans, a muggle-born witch, had been informed five years previously that she had magical powers. Ever since, she had attended a special school, Hogwarts. She had, of course, been told of her abilities nearly a year prior to receiving her letter by a boy who became one of her best friends. However, at first she hadn't believed him.

That year, her next door neighbor gave birth to two beautiful twin girls, Sheila and Delilah Hopkins. Their mother, who had watched Lily for Mrs. Evans when she was little, employed Lily to baby-sit the twins while she and her husband were at work. Every summer, when Lily would return from Hogwarts, although everyone believed her to be off at a prestigious boarding school which was partially true, she would baby- sit the girls.

The Hopkins were the only ones in the neighborhood that approved of Lily besides her parents and the boy, Severus Snape. They all believed she was much too odd to be accepted in normal society, even though they didn't know her secret. Even her own sister, who used to be her best friend, despised her, but for other reasons besides the obvious.

Lily looked down at the two and chuckled. They were so alike, but so different. Both had cute curly blonde hair, pale skin, and striking blue eyes. They were the same height and shared features like their mother's button nose and their father's large feet. But Sheila was loud and obedient while Delilah was quiet and mischievous.

Sighing, Lily replied, "Yes, Sheila. The day after tomorrow, I shall be heading off to boarding school again," The girls looked downtrodden, "But don't worry. I'll come back soon for Christmas. I always do, don't I?" The twins seemed to brighten at this.

"I'm going to miss you!" Sheila cried.

"You'll write to us, won't you?" the other insisted.

"Of course I will!" the redhead promised, knowing she would have to send them via her mother. It had been the process for the past two years, since the girls had learned to read.

"Hooray! Your school sounds so fun!" Sheila exclaimed.

"I hope _we_ can go there someday," the other added dreamily.

Lily laughed, but had a wary expression on her face, and her voice was reserved when she responded, "Perhaps one day," Although she knew that day would most likely never come unless a miracle happened.

**_So? what do you think? It gets better as it goes, trust me. I don't really like this part, but i also fail at beginnings so... Well the rest of the chapter will be up in a week or two. I don't have a title yet, but i promise i will! _**

**_lol until then! Hasta luego!_**


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